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Aravella uses her position to fight on behalf of those without power - and she gets results.

Keep up with the latest stories on Astoria and Aravella’s work in the Assembly.

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About Aravella

Aravella Simotas has always been a fighter for the working class. Coming from an immigrant family with limited means, Aravella grew up in rent-stabilized housing in Astoria. From an early age, she focused on working hard to achieve a better life and learned the value of giving back to her community.

Aravella attended local public schools P.S. 17, Junior H.S. 126, and William C. Bryant High School. She went on to graduate summa cum laude from Fordham University at the age of 20 and earned her law degree from Fordham University School of Law at 23. During law school, she was the managing editor at the Fordham Environmental Law Journal.

About Aravella

Aravella Simotas has always been a fighter for the working class. Coming from an immigrant family with limited means, Aravella grew up in rent-stabilized housing in Astoria. From an early age, she focused on working hard to achieve a better life and learned the value of giving back to her community.

Aravella attended local public schools P.S. 17, Junior H.S. 126, and William C. Bryant High School. She went on to graduate summa cum laude from Fordham University at the age of 20 and earned her law degree from Fordham University School of Law at 23. During law school, she was the managing editor at the Fordham Environmental Law Journal.

Causes

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Aravella led the push to pass a landmark “Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights” and laws requiring timely testing and preservation of rape kits. She proudly co-sponsored the Reproductive Health Act, to enshrine the fundamental right to choose in New York State law. Recently Last year, Aravella passed a series of comprehensive reforms to combat sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace and a law to extend the statute of limitations for rape so that survivors have sufficient time to pursue justice.

IMMIGRATION

Aravella has fought to keep ICE agents out ofin New York courts and introduced legislation to ensure threats of deportation are not used to intimidate immigrant crime victims into silence and prevent themed from pursuing justice. She strongly opposed the proposed citizenship question on the 2020 Census and co-sponsored the NY DREAM Act to expand access to higher education for undocumented students.

HEALTHCARE

Aravella knows first-hand the difficulty of working with insurance companies once medical bills start stacking up. That’s why she supports the New York Health Act to establish a universal, single payer healthcare system so that nobody is underinsured or forced to seek benefits from companies that put profit before people. Aravella has authored laws to expand insurance coverage for infertility treatment, ensure all New Yorkers can access prenatal care, and reduce infant mortality rates.

LGBTQ Rights

Aravella has been a champion for LGBTQ rights since her first day in office. She proudly co-sponsored the Marriage Equality Act in 2012 and the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act and conversion therapy ban that were signed into law in 2019. Aravella has introduced legislation to establish a Bill of Rights for LGBTQ residents in long-term care facilities and prohibit discrimination against transgender parents in custody cases.

SCHOOLS AND CHILDREN

Aravella fights for local schools and has secured critical funds to improve our kids’ learning environments. She has held rallies to save local schools and provided grant money to schools in need. She is also working to improve child product safety and protect young children from toxic chemicals.

UNIONS​

Throughout her time in office, Aravella has been a strong ally to organized labor and supported unions fighting to secure fair wages and better working conditions. She has stood beside striking workers and supported bills to protect public sector unions, expand collective bargaining rights and combat wage inequality.

ENVIRONMENT

Aravella has worked to promote green policies in Queens and earned a perfect score from the League of Conservation Voters in 2019. She has passed legislation to incentivize the use of clean energy and to reduce New York’s the carbon footprint through her support of congestion pricing and the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

Aravella believes access to justice should never be dependent on socioeconomic status, which is why she has fought to eliminate cash bail and protect the constitutional right to a speedy trial. She has introduced legislation to expand criminal record relief so people convicted of crimes as teenagers can fully integrate into their communities without being continuously stigmatized for mistakes made in their youth. Aravella is working to increase transparency and accountability in law enforcement by co-sponsoring a full repeal of Section 50-a of the Civil Rights Law and the Police Statistics and Transparency Act to make information on police misconduct accessible to the public. She is also co-sponsoring legislation to legalize marijuana and end the cruel and inhumane practice of solitary confinement in New York prisons. Aravella is committed to ending the school to prison pipeline and supports measures to end the use of biased surveillance technology and harsh, ineffective disciplinary practices that disproportionately impact students of color.

About Aravella

Aravella was first elected to the Assembly in 2010, winning the Democratic primary and becoming the first woman to ever hold the seat. Aravella has been a leader on a host of issues. She is naturally drawn to focus on issues that improve the lives of women and children. As Assemblywoman, Aravella has passed landmark legislation to strengthen protections for New Yorkers who experience sexual harassment or discrimination in the workplace. She was also successful in extending the time to bring civil and criminal cases for rape to give survivors sufficient time to process their trauma.

Aravella passed legislation making New York the first state in the nation to allow pregnant women to enroll in health insurance at any time so they can access vital prenatal care. She took on the powerful insurance industry so that New Yorkers experiencing infertility can access IVF, which has long been considered the gold standard of care for this heartbreaking condition.

About Aravella

Aravella was first elected to the Assembly in 2010, winning the Democratic primary and becoming the first woman to ever hold the seat. Aravella has been a leader on a host of issues. She is naturally drawn to focus on issues that improve the lives of women and children. As Assemblywoman, Aravella has passed landmark legislation to strengthen protections for New Yorkers who experience sexual harassment or discrimination in the workplace. She was also successful in extending the time to bring civil and criminal cases for rape to give survivors sufficient time to process their trauma.

Aravella passed legislation making New York the first state in the nation to allow pregnant women to enroll in health insurance at any time so they can access vital prenatal care. She took on the powerful insurance industry so that New Yorkers experiencing infertility can access IVF, which has long been considered the gold standard of care for this heartbreaking condition.

News

About Aravella

Aravella led reforms that established equal pay protections for public employees and assisted small business owners with understanding and complying with new regulatory requirements.

Aravella fought to pass the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act to give renters the strongest protections in the state’s history and hosted informative sessions to help tenants in Queens know their rights. She is committed to improving public education and secured $5 million in funding for improvements to local schools in 2019.

As Chair of the Assembly’s Task Force on Women’s Issues, Aravella is focused on expanding gender equality, protecting reproductive rights and supporting survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

About Aravella

Aravella led reforms that established equal pay protections for public employees and assisted small business owners with understanding and complying with new regulatory requirements.

Aravella fought to pass the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act to give renters the strongest protections in the state’s history and hosted informative sessions to help tenants in Queens know their rights. She is committed to improving public education and secured $5 million in funding for improvements to local schools in 2019.

As Chair of the Assembly’s Task Force on Women’s Issues, Aravella is focused on expanding gender equality, protecting reproductive rights and supporting survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

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Astoria, NY 11102
Phone: 646‐300‐5774

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Paid for by Friends of Aravella Simotas      © 2020

Paid for by Friends of Aravella      © 2020