You are reading

AOC Introduces Bill to Cover Funeral Expenses of COVID-19 Victims

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Image by nrkbeta via Flickr)

May 13, 2020 By Michael Dorgan

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has introduced a bill that would require the federal government to cover the funeral expenses of coronavirus victims.

The COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Act would require FEMA to provide $10,000 to the families of deceased COVID-19 victims to cover the costs associated with taking care of their remains.

Ocasio-Cortez introduced the bill with California Congresswoman Barbara Lee yesterday, which was sponsored by 12 other House Members including Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng. The bill is not part of the $3 trillion HEROES Act, which was unveiled by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday.

Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th Congressional district–the hardest-hit district by COVID-19 in the nation, said she introduced the bill because the virus had disproportionately impacted low-income communities.

She said that funeral expenses can add an additional burden on these families who are already financially strained. Ocasio-Cortez said that covering these costs is the “absolute least” the government can do to help them out.

“It is the very core, basic measure of human dignity,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement.

“And in the richest country in the world, we should be able to allow people to bury their loved ones in dignity,” she said.

If enacted, the bill would create a COVID-19 Burial Fund that would be run and administered by FEMA. The funds would be distributed to families that do not have insurance to cover such expenses.

Under the proposed legislation, families of undocumented immigrants would also qualify for the funds.

The money would be backdated to January 21, 2020 to account for those who have already been buried, according to the legislation.

More than 20,000 New York City residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19 complications since the outbreak began.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

MTA bus slams into pole in Flushing, injuring eight passengers: NYPD

The driver of the Q20A bus was traveling westbound on 57th Road just south of Kissena Corridor Park at 5:58 a.m. when he made a right turn onto Main Street, jumped the curb, and slammed into a light pole at the intersection of Booth Memorial Avenue and Main Street, an MTA spokesman said. There were seven passengers on the bus when it crashed. They were transported by EMS to New York-Presbyterian Hospital with minor complaints of pain, according to the NYPD spokesman.

The Q20A bus had significant front-end damage, and an MTA spokesman said the bus operator is being withheld from service pending the investigation. No criminality is suspected, and the investigation remains ongoing, the NYPD spokesman said.