Opposition Senator Malaka Parker is urging the government to build flexibility into the proposed Fatal Accidents Bill by ensuring bereavement awards keep pace with inflation instead of remaining fixed at $20,000.

Speaking during debate in the Senate on the Fatal Accidents Bill 2026, Parker said she supported the legislation and had no objection to the proposed maximum bereavement payment. However, she argued that lawmakers should avoid locking the amount into legislation without providing a mechanism for future adjustments.

“I have no difficulty with that,” Parker said of the $20,000 cap, while noting that the figure would lose value over time if left unchanged.

She told senators that Parliament should consider indexing the bereavement award to inflation so its value would automatically adjust with the cost of living, rather than requiring future governments to amend the law.

“As times change and our economies evolve,” Parker said, the compensation could quickly become inadequate for grieving families.

As an alternative, Parker proposed giving Cabinet the authority to periodically revise the maximum award through affirmative regulations that would still require parliamentary approval.

“We have all of these tools available to us,” she said, arguing that such a provision would prevent lawmakers from having to revisit the legislation decades later simply to increase the compensation amount.

Parker said the current proposal represented progress compared with earlier discussions that contemplated a lower payment, but warned that inflation would steadily erode its value.

“And then in 30 years, we’re having this discussion again,” she said, adding that the amount could be worth only a fraction of its present value if left unchanged.

The opposition senator emphasized that the bereavement payment was only one element of compensation available under the proposed legislation and acknowledged that families may pursue additional damages through other provisions of the bill.

Despite her concerns, Parker expressed support for modernizing the country’s fatal accidents legislation, describing the repeal of the outdated law as a positive step while encouraging lawmakers to make the reforms as comprehensive as possible.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: $20,000 Bereavement Award Should Be Indexed to Inflation, Opposition Senator Says.