A invoice set to be launched within the Metropolis Council this week would assure 10 days of bereavement depart for any non-public sector employee within the 5 boroughs who loses a cherished one to gun violence.
The invoice, penned by Bronx Councilman Rafael Salamanca, shall be formally submitted on the Council’s assembly Thursday.
Although some non-public New York employers already provide comparable bereavement insurance policies, there’s no across-the-board assure in the meanwhile.
The invoice wouldn’t assure the same normal for town’s public sector workforce, as such a transfer would first require collective bargaining, in accordance with Salamanca, whose district contains Mott Haven, Hunts Level and different South Bronx neighborhoods.
Rafael Salamanca Jr. (Shawn Inglima for New York Day by day Information)
Salamanca mentioned the laws was the brainchild of Melody Jimenez, founding father of No Voice Unheard, a Bronx group that provides counseling and different companies for households impacted by gun violence.
“After seeing her go to court for so many hours and then having to take on a third shift after,” she mentioned, her voice trailing off as she held again tears. “To see that, it’s heartbreaking.”
Salamanca’s invoice might want to undergo the common legislative course of, which generally features a committee listening to, earlier than it will possibly come up for a full Council vote and, if handed, get signed into regulation by the mayor.
Spokespeople for Mayor Adams didn’t instantly remark Tuesday on Salamanca’s invoice.
Salamanca advised different types of lethal incidents, like stabbings or sickness, may very well be added to the invoice as extra causes for necessary bereavement.
“This is just the beginning of the bill,” he mentioned.
The measure’s being rolled out at a time shootings within the metropolis are trending downward. Final week, the NYPD introduced town noticed 412 taking pictures incidents between January and July of this 12 months, the bottom quantity in a long time.
However a spate of six separate shootings rocked town this previous weekend, leaving two folks useless and eight others injured. Moreover, the July 28 Park Ave. mass taking pictures in Manhattan has heightened anxiousness round gun violence within the metropolis.
“The emotional distress that I have witnessed – especially from those forced to bury their children – needs to be acknowledged, and as elected officials, we owe it to our families to allow them with sufficient time and space to come to terms with their loss,” Salamanca mentioned in explaining the necessity for his invoice.
Initially Printed: August 12, 2025 at 8:02 AM EDT
