Aruna Miller

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Aruna Miller
Aruna Miller CD6.jpg
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 15th district
In office
December 1, 2010 – January 9, 2019
Preceded byCraig L. Rice
Succeeded byLily Qi
Personal details
Born (1964-11-06) November 6, 1964 (age 57)
Hyderabad, India
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
David Miller
​
(m. 1990)​
Children3
EducationMissouri University of Science and Technology (BS)
WebsiteCampaign website

Aruna Miller (née Katragadda; November 6, 1964) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party from the state of Maryland. Miller is a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing Legislative District 15 in Montgomery County.[1] Aruna ran for Congress in 2018 to represent Maryland's 6th congressional district, and lost the Democratic primary to David Trone by 9.3%, with 30.7% of the vote compared to Trone's 40.0%, and consequently did not advance to the general election.[2]

In 2021, Wes Moore chose Miller as his running mate in the Democratic primary of the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election.[3]

Early life and education[]

Miller was born November 6, 1964, in India. Her family came to the United States when she was eight years old. Along with her two siblings and parents, she lived in Poughkeepsie, New York, where IBM employed her father as a mechanical engineer. She attended public schools in upstate New York and Ballwin, Missouri, and then attended Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla, MO) earning a degree in Civil Engineering.

Early career[]

Miller worked as a transportation engineer first in Los Angeles County, California and then, for over 25 years, in Montgomery County, Maryland. She has overseen programs that advanced access to schools, employment centers, and community facilities that are safe for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and people with differing abilities. In 2015, she retired from Montgomery County to devote her full attention to her service in the Maryland legislature.

Maryland Legislature[]

Elections[]

In 2006, Miller was elected to serve as an At-Large Member of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee and served in that position until 2010.

In 2010, Miller ran for and won a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates to represent the citizens in Legislative District 15. Comprising suburban and rural areas of northwestern Montgomery County, District 15 includes all or parts of Potomac, Germantown, Gaithersburg, Clarksburg, Boyds, Poolesville, and Darnestown. Miller was the first Indian American woman to be elected to the Maryland Legislature.

In 2012, Miller served as an At-Large Delegate to the Democratic National Convention, pledged to President Barack Obama. [4]

In 2014, Miller won reelection to serve as a State Delegate from District 15 and held that position until 2019.

Legislative Terms[]

Miller served in the Maryland House of Delegates during both Democratic and Republican administrations, first under a Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley and later under a Republican Governor Larry Hogan. In her first term (2010-2015), Miller served on the Ways and Means Committee and its Revenue, Transportation, and Education Subcommittees. In her second term (2015-2019), Miller served on the Appropriations Committee where she held several leadership positions including Chair of the Oversight of Personnel Subcommittee, Vice-Chair of the Transportation and Environment Subcommittee, and Vice-Chair of the Capital Budget Subcommittee.

Legislative Notes[]

Aruna Miller President, Women Legislators of Maryland 2016-2017.

Education & Economy[]

In her first term, Delegate Miller served on the Ways and Means Education Subcommittee.

Miller was the lead sponsor of the landmark bill which mandates that all high schools offer at least one high-quality computer science course and encourages local school districts to integrate computer science into their earlier grades.[5]

In 2013, Delegate Miller was one of ten Maryland lawmakers named to the Maryland Business Climate Work Group designed to make recommendations and develop long-term plans to streamline business regulations, encourage business innovation, and develop public-private partnerships to finance infrastructure[6]

Miller encouraged strengthening economic and cultural development between Maryland and India[7] and accompanied Governor Martin O'Malley on a trade mission to India in 2011, which resulted in nearly $60 million in business deals for the state of Maryland.[8] Delegate Miller took a lead role in working with the Office of the Secretary of State and the Department of Economic Development to coordinate the Governor’s arrangements for his first stop to Hyderabad.[9]

Working Families[]

During her first term as a State Delegate, Miller introduced one of the early Maryland bills for paid family leave.[10]

In her second term, while serving as Chair of the Oversight of Personnel Subcommittee, Miller was the floor leader for multiple bills expanding collective bargaining for employees.

Miller stood in opposition to excluding nail salon workers from being eligible to receive Unemployment benefits[11][12]

Miller also sponsored or co-sponsored the following legislation:

  • “Evergreen” A bill that extends the employees' rights under the existing collective bargaining agreement while the parties negotiate a new contract. [13]
  • Paid sick leave for Maryland workers.[14]
  • Maryland's first "Fight for Fifteen" Minimum Wage bill.[15]
  • Prohibiting employers from requiring employees to disclose user names and passwords of personal accounts.[16]

Environment[]

One of Delegate Miller’s first actions after being elected to the Maryland General Assembly was to co-sponsor the Marcellus Shale Act of 2011,[17] which laid the groundwork for the eventual passage of Maryland’s fracking ban, which she co-sponsored. [18]

In 2013 Governor Martin O'Malley appointed Delegate Miller as a Commissioner to the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB). The mission is to enhance, protect, and conserve the water and associated land resources of the Potomac River and its tributaries through regional and interstate cooperation. She served on the ICPRB until 2019.

Miller also sponsored or co-sponsored the following legislation:

  • Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013.[19]
  • Increasing Maryland's Goals for Renewable Energy.[20]
  • Opposition to Synthetic Turf Fields.[21]
  • Increased State Teleworking Goals.[22]

Miller has received the endorsement from the Sierra Club in both her State and Federal races.[23] [24] [25]

Health Care & Public Safety[]

Miller sponsored or co-sponsored the following legislation to:

  • Make it easier for all women to afford to pay for diagnostic breast exams.[26]
  • Increase the time in which charges can be brought for a sexual offense.[27]
  • Strengthen protections for sexual assault survivors and alleged violators on college campuses.[28]
  • Provide victims of violence with the ability to require the perpetrator to wear electronic monitoring when on a restraining order.[29]
  • Ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.[30]

Other Notable Legislation[]

  • Co-Sponsor, Marriage Equality Civil Marriage Protection Act.[31]
  • Co-Sponsor, Ending Capital Punishment in Maryland.[32]

Committees and Commissions[]

Aruna Miller on the campaign trail 2018.
  • President, Women Legislators of Maryland, Maryland General Assembly, 2016-2017
  • Chair, House Appropriations Oversight of Personnel Subcommittee, 2015-19
  • Vice-Chair, House Appropriations Transportation and Environment Subcommittee, 2015-19
  • Vice-Chair, House Appropriations Capital Budget Subcommittee, 2016-19
  • Member, Maryland Advisory Council for Virtual Learning, 2012-15
  • Commissioner, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, 2013-19
  • Member, Business Climate Work Group, Maryland General Assembly, 2013-14
  • Member, Joint Committee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Biotechnology, 2015-19
  • Member, Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight, 2015-19
  • Founding Member, Maryland Legislative Asian-American, and Pacific-Islander Caucus 2015-2019
  • Member, Maryland Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Policy and Funding Committee, 2017-19
  • Commissioner, 21st Century School Facilities Commission, 2016-17
  • Member, Maryland State Ethics Commission, 2019-2020

2018 Congressional run[]

Miller was a candidate for Congress in 2018 to represent Maryland's 6th congressional district to replace John Delaney, who ran for president in 2020.[33] In April 2018, Miller won a straw poll of Democratic activists in Western Maryland.[34] During the election, she was endorsed by the National Education Association,[35] the Sierra Club,[36] EMILY's List,[37] 314 Action,[38] and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, [39] Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and then County Executive Ike Leggett,[40] among others.[41]

Miller was outspent in the primary 13:1[42] by David Trone, the largest self-funding congressional candidate in US history,[43] and lost the primary to Trone by 9.3%, with 30.7% of the vote compared to Trone's 40.0%, and consequently did not advance to the general election.[44] She won Montgomery County but this was the only voting district she won outright.[45]

Personal life[]

In 1990, Miller moved to Montgomery County, Maryland, where she married her college sweetheart, David Miller; they have three adult daughters: Meena, Chloe, and Sasha. Miller’s mother lives with the family in Darnestown, MD. Miller is an avid animal rights advocate, vegetarian, and baseball fan.

Miller maintains her activism in community organizations and serves on the boards of Round House Theatre, Montgomery Parks Foundation, Emerge Maryland, and Madison House Autism Foundation. She has also served as a board member of the BlackRock Center for the Arts and the Montgomery County Public Schools Educational Foundation.

Miller is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery (class of 2013).

References[]

  1. ^ "House of Delegates". Maryland Manual. Archived from the original on January 28, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  2. ^ "Maryland's 6th Congressional District election (June 26, 2018 Democratic primary)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  3. ^ Kurtz, Josh (December 9, 2021). "Wes Moore Picks Ex-Delegate Aruna Miller to Be His Running Mate". Maryland Matters. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  4. ^ "Maryland Delegation 2012 Convention". Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  5. ^ "HB218 Securing the Future: Computer Science Education for All" (PDF). Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  6. ^ "Maryland Business Climate Workgroup". Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  7. ^ "India Abroad Report on Maryland Sister State" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  8. ^ "Governor O'Malley Announces Nearly $60 Million in Business Deals for Maryland, Touts Successful India Trade Mission". December 12, 2011.
  9. ^ "Maryland Delegate Aruna Miller announces participation in Trade Mission". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  10. ^ "HB1335 Employment Short Term Disability Insurance for Pregnancy Requirement" (PDF). Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  11. ^ "Roll Call SB679 Nail Technicians Exemption From Unemployment Insurance". Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  12. ^ "SB679 Nail Technicians Exemption From Unemployment Insurance" (PDF). Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  13. ^ "HB864 Collective Bargaining Memorandum of Understanding*" (PDF). Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  14. ^ "HB1 Maryland Healthy Working Families Act*" (PDF). Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  15. ^ "HB1372 Minimum Wage Fight for 15*" (PDF). Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  16. ^ "HB962 User Name and Password Privacy Protection*" (PDF). Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  17. ^ "Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Act of 2011" (PDF).
  18. ^ "HB1325 Oil and Natural Gas - Hydraulic Fracturing - Prohibition". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  19. ^ "Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  20. ^ "100% Clean Renewable Energy Equity Act" (PDF). Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  21. ^ "Turf Field Signage" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  22. ^ "HB136 Increase State Teleworking Goals". Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  23. ^ "Sierra Club endorses Delegate Aruna Miller for MD 6th Congressional District". The Sierra Club. April 17, 2018.
  24. ^ "Sierra Club 2014 State and Local Endorsements".
  25. ^ "Sierra Club 2010 State and Local Endorsements". Archived from the original on November 24, 2014.
  26. ^ "HB282 Coverage for Diagnostic Examinations for Breast Cancer" (PDF). Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  27. ^ "HB724Sexual Offense - Statute of Limitations - Increase". Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  28. ^ "HB0913 Higher Education – Sexual Assault Policy". Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  29. ^ "HB1163 Criminal Procedure - Conditional Release - Electronic Monitoring (Amber's Law)". Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  30. ^ "HB1272 Electronic Cigarettes - Distribution to Minors Prohibited". Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  31. ^ "HB175 Civil Marriage Protection Act" (PDF).
  32. ^ "HB295 Death Penalty Repeal" (PDF).
  33. ^ "As millionaires compete, 6th District House race shaping up to be Maryland's priciest". The Baltimore Sun. December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  34. ^ "Baker, Miller win straw polls of Democratic activists in Western Maryland". The Washington Post. April 22, 2018.
  35. ^ "Aruna Miller Receives National Teachers Union Endorsement". Bethesda Magazine. April 19, 2018.
  36. ^ "Sierra Club endorses Delegate Aruna Miller for MD 6th Congressional District". The Sierra Club. April 17, 2018.
  37. ^ "Emily's List Endorses Aruna Miller for Congress in Maryland's 6th District". Emily's List. August 31, 2017.
  38. ^ "Scientists group backs Aruna Miller in 6th District". The Baltimore Sun. November 20, 2017.
  39. ^ "N.Y. senator endorses state delegate in race to succeed Delaney in Maryland". The Washington Post. March 8, 2018.
  40. ^ "Leggett Endorses Miller in 6th District Congressional Race". Bethesda Magazine. February 19, 2018.
  41. ^ "Aruna Miller Endorsements for Congress". Aruna Miller for Congress 2018. June 26, 2018. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018.
  42. ^ "Can Aruna Miller win despite being outspent 13:1". The Washington Post. June 21, 2018.
  43. ^ "Largest Self-Funder in House History, Wins Democratic Nod in Maryland". Roll Call. June 26, 2018.
  44. ^ "Maryland's 6th Congressional District election (June 26, 2018 Democratic primary)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  45. ^ "Maryland Election Results".

External links[]

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