A move to secure an NYPD pension for the children of slain Bronx cop Miosotis Familia came to a screeching halt in Albany, leaving some frustrated lawmakers blaming “disgraceful” political games for the failure.
The state Senate passed the measure that would grant a police pension for Genesis Villella and her younger twin siblings, Peter and Delilah, following their mom’s 2017 execution-style death — fixing a glitch in the law that overlooks single-parent cops killed in the line of duty.
But the proposal was stopped in its tracks by the state Assembly, which deemed it too costly.
“I’m very hurt and disappointed that my bill couldn’t make it to the floor this session for a vote,” Villella, 28, said in a statement to The Post. “My mom’s brutal murder is also a unique, historical tragedy that impacted my life and Peter’s and Delilah’s lives forever.”
State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), who sponsored the bill in the chamber, said he was “very disappointed” that his legislative colleagues dropped the ball, but vowed to keep fighting.
“I don’t give up on things,” Dinowitz said. “They looked at the bill and they claimed that this would cost, over time, like $200 million because it would take in a lot more people than just this family.
“We have to keep fighting for this and I’m telling you I’m not going to stop because I am 100% committed to doing the right thing for this family,” he told The Post.
Familia, a single mom of three, was sitting in a mobile command post on July 5, 2017, when cowardly gunman Alexander Bonds walked up and shot her in the head.
Bonds was shot dead by cops, but the senseless murder left the veteran cop’s children shattered.
Villella was forced to quit college to make ends meet and raise her younger siblings, whom she later adopted, on her own to fulfill a promise she made her mom as a teenager.
She then launched a years-long campaign for justice, noting that state law awarded pensions for the parents or spouses of NYPD cops killed on duty — but leaves the kids of single parents out in the cold.
Under the current statute, the children stopped receiving benefits at age 21 — or 23 if they’re in college.
Villella’s efforts have gained wide support over the years — and seemed destined to succeed earlier this month when the City Council voted unanimously to approve a required letter of support.
But the momentum for the move ended in Albany last week.
“It’s disgraceful that political games in Albany are standing in the way of justice for Officer Familia’s family,” City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens) said in a statement this week. “They deserve that pension, but because of petty politics, they’re being denied what’s rightfully theirs.
“This is exactly why we need to end one-party rule in New York, so we can bring balance and accountability back into our state government,” said Ariola, the council’s GOP leader. “This family deserves so much better.”
State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx), who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said he also found it “incredibly disappointing” that the Assembly failed to pass the measure.
“My staff and I worked around the clock to get this bill over the finish line, including securing a Home Rule message from the City Council before the Senate adjourned,” he said. “While this is a setback, I am determined to pass it next year. Genesis has been a champion for her family and she deserves all our support.”
Despite the devastating news, Villella said she also remains hopeful that the move passes in the end — and said she still has faith in Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to come through for her family.
“My mom was a Bronx cop,” she said. “Peter and Delilah and I are lifelong Bronx children, and with Speaker Heastie being a Bronx rep, I just really hope he and the rest of the Assembly does the right thing for me and the kids, just as he has done for other law enforcement families.”
