Aravella Simotas Biography
Aravella Simotas (born October 9, 1978) is an American politician who represented District 36, covering parts of Western Queens, which includes Astoria and parts of Long Island City, in the New York State *embly as a member of the Democratic Party.
Education and early life
Simotas was born in Rhodesia. She emigrated to the United States from Greece and settled in Astoria with her parents and brother when she was an infant. She graduated from P.S. 17, Junior H.S. 126, and William C. Bryant High School.
She received a B.A. degree (summa * laude) from Fordham University in 1999, followed by a J.D. degree from the Fordham University School of Law in 2002. During law school, she was the managing editor at the Fordham Environmental Law Journal.
Early career
Simotas began her career in public service as a district representative for Speaker of the New York City Council, Peter Vallone Sr. and later for New York City Council member Peter Vallone Jr. While at law school, she also worked at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
After law school, Simotas served as a law clerk at the United States Court of International Trade and later practiced law in New York City.
Simotas served as a member of the Queens Community Planning Board 1 and the United Community Civic *ociation.
Electoral history
2010 election
Simotas was first elected to office in 2010. She received the Democratic Party nomination and ran unopposed in the November 2, 2010, general election.
2012 election
Simotas was unopposed in the 2012 Democratic primary. In the general election, she ran on both the Democratic and Working Families Party lines and was opposed by Republican Julia Haitch.
According to preliminary results collected by the Daily News, Simotas won re-election to the State *embly, for the new District 36, in the general election on November 6, 2012, with 84% of the vote.
2020 election
She lost her 2020 Democratic primary to Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani.
Committee *ignments
Simotas's Committee *ignments as of 2018 included:
- Chair, Committee on Ethics and Guidance
- Co-chair, Legislative Ethics Commission
- Insurance
- Judiciary
- Ways and Means
- Energy
Simotas was appointed Chair of the *embly's Ethics and Guidance Committee in 2017. Under her leadership, the Committee updated the *embly's policy prohibiting har*ment and discrimination to require expedited investigations and expand the types of conduct violating the policy.
From 2014 to 2017, Simotas served as Chair of the *embly's Task Force on Women's Issues and Administrative and Regulatory Review Commission.
Policy positions
Sexual violence
In 2012, Simotas introduced the "Rape is Rape" bill to expand the definition of rape in New York State law to include forced * and oral sexual contact. The bill has p*ed in the *embly every year since 2013.
Simotas sponsored legislation in 2016 to combat the rape kit backlog by mandating timely processing and testing of rape kits. In 2017, she introduced legislation to establish a Sexual *ault Survivors' Bill of Rights and prevent premature destruction of evidence. The bill was signed into law in 2018.
In 2019, the legislature p*ed Simotas' bill to extend New York's five-year statute of limitations for second- and third-degree rape to 20 years and 10 years, respectively.
Simotas aut*d a package of bills aimed at strengthening protections against sexual har*ment in the workplace and pushed the legislature to hold the first public hearings on the subject in 27 years. In June 2019, the legislature p*ed Simotas' bill to eliminate the severe or pervasive standard for har*ment claims, extend the time period for employees to file complaints, hold employers accountable for har*ment committed by supervisors, and establish protections for workers who sign non-disclosure agreements.
Simotas has sponsored a series of bills to combat sexual abuse in medical settings. The bills would require health care providers to undergo background checks as a condition of licensure, expand the information about patients' rights and reporting options available online, and require doctors who are disciplined for misconduct to notify their patients.
Health care
In 2015, legislation introduced by Simotas made New York the first state in the country to designate pregnancy as a qualifying event to enroll in health insurance through the state health exchange.
In 2016, Simotas introduced the Fair Access to Fertility Treatment Act to require insurers to cover in vitro fertilization, as well as fertility preservation services for cancer patients. Provisions of Simotas' proposal were enacted as part of the 2019-2020 state budget.
Simotas introduced legislation to establish a Newborn Health and Safe Sleep Pilot Program to combat infant mortality by distributing "baby boxes", essential care items and educational materials to new parents in high-risk areas. The bill was signed into law in October 2017.
LGBTQ rights
Simotas voted in favor of same-sex marriage in New York. Simotas had been a lead sponsor ("co-sponsor") of *embly Bill A08354, which p*ed the *embly by an 80–63 vote,later p*ed the Senate, and was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Since she first took office, Simotas supported the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), for which she was a "multi-sponsor".
Criminal justice
In 2019, Simotas introduced legislation to close a loophole in New York's Raise the Age law to expand eligibility for record sealing.
Simotas voted against rollbacks to bail reform in the FY 2020-2021 state budget.
Energy and environment
Simotas served as chairperson of Smart Power NY, a coalition to develop new energy sources for Western Queens. One of its goals was to support the replacement of "decades-old, dirty" power plants in Astoria with newer generators.
Other issues
Simotas at the QSAC's annual 5K race for Autism in September 2013Simotas has pushed for the allocation of additional polling sites and the expansion of early voting.
Simotas joined several other public officials in protesting against the anti-immigrant Greek organization, Golden Dawn, which held a recruitment meeting in Queens. Simotas said that the anti-immigrant message was not welcome in her community; she expressed anger because she is an immigrant herself.
Simotas has supported the expansion of Mount Sinai Queens hospital, which is undergoing a $125 million building project, noting the expanding population of western Queens and the necessity of increased healthcare opportunities to meet the needs of a growing community.
In 2013, Simotas supported the retention and expansion of Gifted and Talented programs in her district. Simotas has *isted in keeping local public schools open and functioning in her district, including Long Island City High School, which has been threatened with closing or "co-location" (consolidation) since the early 2010s.
Simotas has pushed for cleaner streets in Astoria, calling upon Mayor Bill de Blasio to take action and reduce street waste and litter.
Personal life
Simotas is married to John Katsanos, and they have one daughter, born in 2012.
References
- "Migration woes take centre stage ahead of Greek election", The Sun Daily, 4 April 2012
- Xenakis, Sappho (2012), "A New Dawn? Change and Continuity in Political Violence in Greece", Terrorism and Political Violence, 24 (3): 437–464, doi:10.1080/09546553.2011.633133, S2CID:145624655, ...Nikolaos Michaloliakos, who in the early 1980s established the fascistic far-right party Chrysi Avgi ("Golden Dawn").
- Smith, Helena (16 December 2011), "Rise of the Greek far right raises fears of further turmoil", The Guardian, London
External links
- Official biography at the New York State *embly website
- Campaign website
- Interview Archived 2013-02-09 at archive.today on YNN regarding improvements to power plants (video link)
