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.[1][2] She graduated from P.S. 17, Junior H.S. 126, and William C. Bryant High School.[1][2][3]
Simotas was first elected to office in 2010. She received the Democratic Party nomination and ran unopposed in the November 2, 2010, general election.[6][7][8][9][10]
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.[11]
According to preliminary results collected by the Daily News, Simotas won re-election to the State Assembly, for the new District 36, in the general election on November 6, 2012, with 84% of the vote.[12]
Simotas was appointed Chair of the Assembly's Ethics and Guidance Committee in 2017.[16] Under her leadership, the Committee updated the Assembly's policy prohibiting harassment and discrimination to require expedited investigations and expand the types of conduct violating the policy.[17]
From 2014 to 2017, Simotas served as Chair of the Assembly's Task Force on Women's Issues and Administrative and Regulatory Review Commission.[18]
In 2012, Simotas introduced the "Rape is Rape" bill to expand the definition of rape in New York State law to include forced anal and oral sexual contact.[19][20] The bill has passed in the Assembly every year since 2013.[21]
Simotas sponsored legislation in 2016 to combat the rape kit backlog by mandating timely processing and testing of rape kits.[22][23] In 2017, she introduced legislation to establish a Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights and prevent premature destruction of evidence.[24] The bill was signed into law in 2018.[25]
In 2019, the legislature passed 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.[26][27]
Simotas authored a package of bills aimed at strengthening protections against sexual harassment in the workplace and pushed the legislature to hold the first public hearings on the subject in 27 years.[28] In June 2019, the legislature passed Simotas' bill to eliminate the severe or pervasive standard for harassment claims, extend the time period for employees to file complaints, hold employers accountable for harassment committed by supervisors, and establish protections for workers who sign non-disclosure agreements.[29]
Simotas has sponsored a series of bills to combat sexual abuse in medical settings.[30] 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.[30]
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.[31]
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.[32] Provisions of Simotas' proposal were enacted as part of the 2019-2020 state budget.[33][34]
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.[35] The bill was signed into law in October 2017.[36]
LGBTQ rights
Simotas voted in favor of same-sex marriage in New York.[37][38] Simotas had been a lead sponsor ("co-sponsor") of Assembly Bill A08354, which passed the Assembly by an 80–63 vote,[39][failed verification]
later passed the Senate, and was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo.[40] Since she first took office, Simotas supported the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), for which she was a "multi-sponsor".[41][42]
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.[43]
Simotas voted against rollbacks to bail reform in the FY 2020-2021 state budget.[44]
Energy and environment
Simotas served as chairperson of Smart Power NY, a coalition to develop new energy sources for Western Queens.[45][46] One of its goals was to support the replacement of "decades-old, dirty" power plants in Astoria with newer generators.[46][47][48][49][45]
Other issues
Simotas at the QSAC's annual 5K race for Autism in September 2013
Simotas has pushed for the allocation of additional polling sites and the expansion of early voting.[50][51]
Simotas joined several other public officials in protesting against the anti-immigrant Greek organization, Golden Dawn, which held a recruitment meeting in Queens.[52][53][54] Simotas said that the anti-immigrant message was not welcome in her community; she expressed anger because she is an immigrant herself.[52][53][54][55][56]
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.[57]
In 2013, Simotas supported the retention and expansion of Gifted and Talented programs in her district.[58] Simotas has assisted 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.[59]
Simotas has pushed for cleaner streets in Astoria, calling upon Mayor Bill de Blasio to take action and reduce street waste and litter.[60]
Personal life
Simotas is married to John Katsanos, and they have one daughter, born in 2012.[61]
^Aravella Simotas, "Discussion: Panel III: Electric Generators in New York City: Balancing the Energy and Environmental Needs of the Community," 8 Fordham Envtl. Law J. 531 (2002). Abstract found at LexisNexis websiteArchived 2016-12-20 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed January 20, 2011.
^ ab"Profile for Aravella Simotas: Candidate for State Representative District 36, New York: November 6, 2012 New York General Election". 2010.
^Chris Bragg, "Conservative Democrat Enters Race For Gianaris Seat," City Hall News, May 28, 2010. Found at City Hall NewsArchived 2011-02-05 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed January 19, 2011.
^Diana Huynh, "In Astoria, the Field Narrows," Gotham Gazette, August 05, 2010. Found at Gotham Gazette website. Accessed January 20, 2011.
^John Toscano, "Simotas Unchallenged For 36th A.D. Seat As Ciafone Quits," Queens Gazette, August 18, 2010. Found at Queens Gazette websiteArchived 2011-10-19 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed January 20, 2011.
^"AIDS Issues Update Blog: Dispatches from the fight against homelessness and AIDS: With All Eyes on NY Gay Marriage, GENDA Passes in Assembly". June 15, 2011.
^Golden Dawn is a neo-Nazi party in Greece, and is involved in Holocaust denialism. A sample of work on Golden Dawn reports:
Altsech, Moses (August 2004), "Anti-Semitism in Greece: Embedded in Society", Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism (23): 12, On 12 March 2004, Chrysi Avghi (Golden Dawn), the new weekly newspaper of the Neo-Nazi organization of that name, cited another survey indicating that the percentage of Greeks who view immigrants unfavorably is 89 percent.
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, S2CID145624655, ...Nikolaos Michaloliakos, who in the early 1980s established the fascistic far-right party Chrysi Avgi ("Golden Dawn").
