Inside Government is a Q&A series that gives New Yorkers a glimpse inside the role of the elected officials who represent them. This edition of Inside Government with PoliticsNY features New York State Assembly Member Stacey Pheffer Amato. Assembly Member Pheffer Amato represents the 23rd Assembly District in Queens which includes the neighborhoods of Ozone Park, Lindenwood, Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach, Broad Channel, Breezy Point, Roxbury, Neponsit, Belle Harbor, Rockaway Park, Rockaway Beach, Arverne, Edgemere, Bayswater and Far Rockaway.
What piece of legislation are you most proud to have passed this legislative session?
It was an honor to pass the most legislation out of the NYC Assembly delegation. This year I was focused on pension parity and passed legislation to enact 20-year pensions for the NYPD (A.3968, 2025 budget), NYC firefighters, correction officers, and sanitation workers (A.5861 and A.6942), which accomplished part of that goal! New York is making it clear that a career in civil service is an honorable profession and provides the retirement and benefits individuals and families deserve.
How does your office work to support your constituents in their day to day lives?
Government should work for the people – and in our office constituents come first. We’re customer service oriented in that we follow up, demand answers, and advocate for solutions. In the first half of 2025 we have resolved over 1,000 constituent cases that deal with City or State-related issues. Our community knows they can count on my team and I to help them, and it’s a privilege to be able to deliver this service every day!
What is the most prevalent issue facing your constituents and how are you working to resolve it?
Affordability continues to be an issue, and that’s why my office continues to enroll residents in SCHE, SCRIE, DRIE, STAR, discounted MTA services, the Queens E-ZPass toll rebate – along with being a staunch supporter of legislation like universal free meals in schools, funding for Mitchell-Lamas co-ops, the inflation rebate check, along with property tax exemptions for senior citizens, veterans, and the families of fallen law enforcement.
What do you hope to accomplish by the end of 2025?
Constituent services are my priority and my goal is to serve the people. As a legislator I also work on legislation and have 32 bills that I hope the Governor will sign. They range from helping 9/11 victims, to providing resources to unions and their members, protecting EMS workers, and defending Jamaica Bay. I will also continue to work with Resorts World NYC and support my community as we strive to get one of the three downstate gaming licenses.
What is the proudest moment of your political career?
A group of breast cancer survivors told me the horrors they experienced with insurance companies in the aftermath of their mastectomies. It’s in their honor that I passed, and Governor Hochul signed, A.8537 (2022), making NY the first state in the country to mandate insurance companies provide full coverage for any/all types of post-mastectomy surgery. So whether that be aesthetic flat closure or reconstructive surgery, through my bill, NYS gave women full autonomy over their chests, and how their bodies look after a mastectomy.
