ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The state Senate quietly approved legislation last week to a pay out the remainder of deceased Assemblyman Bill Nojay’s annual salary to his widow, Debra Gordon. Nojay took his own life on Sept. 9, 2016 — the same day he was due to appear in federal court to face fraud charges.

The bill authorizes the payment of $27,230.88 to Gordon, which is the amount of money Nojay would have earned between the time of his death and the end of the calendar year. According to the bill’s text, such a payment is in keeping with a long-standing tradition.

The state Senate also approved similar payments to the spouses of two other deceased legislators, former downstate Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz and Assemblywoman Barbara Clark. In both cases, their ex-colleagues voted unanimously in favor of the appropriations.

However, just a few weeks after the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle published an extensive report on how the federal public corruption investigation into Nojay’s dealings continues, and at least half a dozen legal actions are pending against his estate, four senators did vote “no” on the Nojay compensation bill.

State Sen. Pat Gallivan, a Republican whose district overlaps with the one the assemblyman used to represent, sponsored the legislation.

“It has been a long-standing, bipartisan practice of the Legislature to pay widows or widowers the unpaid salaries of spouses who die while they are members of the Legislature,” Gallivan said. “I support the extension of this to Ms. Gordon.”

The state Assembly meanwhile, unanimously approved the payments to Gordon, as well as the other two spouses, at the end of January. East Aurora Republican David DiPietro, Nojay’s former colleague in the GOP conference, sponsored the legislation.

“Bill was my friend in the Assembly,” DiPietro said. “He worked very hard for his constituents. This is standard Assembly and Senate procedure for deceased members from both sides of the aisle. My prayers go out to him and his family.”

All three bills have been delivered to the governor, who has yet to take action on them.