Bronx, NY — Today, the New York City Council unanimously passed a critical Home Rule message to support long-overdue pension justice for the children of Detective Miosotis Familia, marking the first formal legislative action by the City in support of child survivors of fallen NYPD officers.
The vote followed a press conference held earlier this morning at City Hall by Council Majority Leader Amanda Farías, who led the effort to advance the Home Rule in coordination with State partners. Elected officials and community leaders stood alongside Genesis Villella, the eldest daughter of Detective Familia, to highlight her years-long fight for access to her mother’s pension benefits — a fight made necessary by outdated state laws that exclude children from eligibility, regardless of their caregiving role.
Detective Familia was assassinated in the line of duty in 2017. At just 20 years old, Genesis stepped in to raise her two younger siblings, becoming their primary caregiver while still navigating her own young adulthood. Despite her mother’s service and sacrifice, she has been denied survivor pension benefits because the law grants them only to spouses and parents, not children, no matter the reality of who shoulders the responsibility.
With today’s vote, the City Council formally clears the way for state legislation that would expand eligibility for accidental death benefits to children like Genesis, ensuring they receive the support their parent earned.
“This is about justice, for Genesis, and for every family that’s been overlooked by laws that fail to account for real-life responsibility and sacrifice,” said Majority Leader Farías. “Detective Familia gave her life in service to this city, and Genesis gave hers to her siblings. Our system must reflect that.”
With today’s vote, the Home Rule message will be transmitted to the New York State Legislature, where Senators Gustavo Rivera and Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz are leading the companion legislation to ensure families like Genesis’s are no longer left behind.
“Today marks a bittersweet milestone for the family of the late NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia, because they never should have been forced to fight for the support they always deserved,” said NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “Detective Familia honorably served our city in the NYPD for 12 years, and we are taking a step towards fixing the injustice faced by her family since she was stolen from them. With the Council’s passage of a home-rule resolution, our colleagues in the State Legislature can now enact a state law reforming pension rules so that Detective Familia’s family can access the benefits she earned as a police officer. This can also prevent another family from suffering the same hardships in the future if they lose their loved one in a similar situation. I thank Detective Familia’s daughter, Genesis, and her entire family for sharing their mother with our city and continuing to make clear our obligation to fix this broken state pension law. I also want to thank Majority Leader Farias for her support of the family and work on their behalf to move this forward, as well as my Council colleagues and the Bronx delegation. The State now can and should move to pass this law so that Detective Familia’s family can have the peace and support they have always deserved, and this injustice is corrected.”
“For years, the city my mom grew up in, loved, and protected didn’t love her back — in fact, it tried to erase both her and me. But my mom is a hero, and will always be the hero of my lifetime, and today that erasure and discrimination ended thanks to Majority Leader Amanda Farias and Speaker Adrienne Adams. This outdated and discriminatory loophole has finally been closed,” said Genesis Villella.
“It’s been eight long years of relentlessly and resiliently fighting for justice — for myself, my brother, and my sister. I’m grateful to Majority Leader Amanda Farias for fiercely advocating for me, and to Speaker Adrienne Adams for collaborating with me to find a solution.”
“I’m grateful to City Council Majority Leader Amanda Farías for passing a home rule message in support of my bill to do what’s right for the children of Detective Miosotis Familia. When Genesis and her siblings lost their mother tragically, they were left without the financial support needed to rebuild their lives as a result of our state’s archaic pension laws,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. “My bill to include the orphaned child or children of city municipal workers who die in the line of duty in the eligibility to claim lifetime accidental death benefits seeks to close this unfair gap. I admire the courageous fight that Genesis has embarked on as the oldest sibling and caregiver for her family and I look forward to working alongside Councilmember Farias to support Genesis and her family.”
“When NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia was brutally murdered in 2017, her then 20-year-old daughter, Genesis, became the sole caregiver to her 12-year-old siblings, Delilah and Peter, raising them as if they were her own children. Today’s action by the City Council in issuing a Home Rule for my legislation is an important step in making sure that not only will all of Detective Familia’s children receive the pension benefit they deserve, but that New York State recognizes all orphaned children of slain police officers in the same way it does surviving spouses.” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.
“Detective Miosotis Familia was a hero who served with honor – a devoted mother, protector, and public servant who gave her life in the line of duty. Her daughter, Genesis, is my constituent, and she has shown extraordinary strength as she stepped up to raise her two younger siblings over the past 8 years after the brutal and senseless assassination of her mother,” said NYC Council Member Eric Dinowitz. “For 8 years, Genesis has had to fight for something that should’ve never been a question: access to her mother’s pension. The fact that an outdated state law denies children like Genesis the support their parents earned through a lifetime of service is not just unacceptable – it’s unjust. By passing this vote today to amend our Home Rule law to include children as recipients of pensions left behind by their parents who have fallen in the line of duty, we are honoring Detective Familia’s legacy and ensure that no children of fallen heroes should ever be left to struggle alone.”
“Detective Miosotis Familia made the ultimate sacrifice — losing her life to protect our Bronx community. In the years since, her daughter Genesis Villella, still just a young woman herself, stepped up to care for her siblings while fighting, for too long, unheard — for the pension support her mother earned through that sacrifice. Today, I thank Council Majority Leader Amanda Farias, Senator Gustavo Rivera, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, and all who came together to listen and act. This home rule message moves us closer to justice — not just for Genesis and her siblings, but for families of fallen officers moving forward. The bill allows child beneficiaries to receive accidental death benefits for the duration of their lives — a commonsense, compassionate change that ensures no family in the future has to fight so hard for what should have always been theirs. Detective Familia’s legacy lives on, and today, we honor it with action,” said NYC Council Member Pierina Sanchez.
PBA President Patrick Hendry said, “Police Officer Miosotis Familia wore our shield with pride, served with honor and sacrificed everything to protect her community. Our city and state have an obligation to care for her children just as she would have done. We thank Majority Leader Farias and the Council for stepping up to pass this resolution. Now we need our state leaders to do their part to honor their obligation and our hero sister’s memory.”
“NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia was a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of her community when she was killed in the line of duty. After her death, Det. Familia’s daughter rose to the occasion and raised her younger siblings. The City Council’s passage today of a ‘home rule’ will help make right a tragic systemic failure and ensure Detective Familia’s family is granted access to her pension, which they rightly deserve. We are grateful to Majority Member Farias for her tireless advocacy in ensuring this resolution was passed. We also urge our state leaders to pay homage to Detective Familia and make certain her family is well cared for,” said Scott Munro, President of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, Inc. (DEA).
“Today’s vote is about honoring both service and sacrifice. Supporting this Home Rule bill is about doing what’s right — for Genesis Villella, for her siblings, and for every family like theirs impacted by outdated laws,” said Council Member Kevin C. Riley. “Correcting this longstanding injustice in New York State pension law is a necessary step toward honoring the real-life sacrifices made by children who become caretakers in the wake of tragedy. This is how we show our gratitude for their sacrifice — with action, fairness, and lasting change.”
“I applaud Majority Leader Farias’ leadership in championing the Home Rule Message. The tragedy that marked NYPD Detective Familia’s family should not go unnoticed. The people of the Bronx will never forget the sacrifice that Detective Familia made for her community, and we must take every step to ensure her family isn’t precluded from obtaining the benefits they deserve,” said NYC Council Member Oswald Feliz.
“Genesis Villella’s story is a powerful reminder of how our systems too often fail the very people they should protect,” said NYC Council Member Althea Stevens. “After losing her mother, Detective Miosotis Familia, in the line of duty, Genesis stepped in to raise her siblings — yet our pension laws have denied her the benefits her family deserves. This Home Rule message is a critical step toward correcting that injustice, and toward building a system that truly honors sacrifice, protects our families, and reflects the values we claim to uphold.”
###
Media Contacts:
Majority Leader Farías — Nathalie Levey | nlevey@council.nyc.gov | (332) 227-2157
Speaker Adams — Julia Agos | jagos@council.nyc.gov | (929) 496-0830