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Aruna Miller

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Aruna Miller
File:Aruna Miller CD6.jpg
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 15 district
In office
January 12, 2011 – January 9, 2019
Preceded byCraig L. Rice
Succeeded byLily Qi
Personal details
Born (1964-11-06) November 6, 1964 (age 60)
Hyderabad, India
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDavid Miller
ChildrenMeena, Chloe, and Sasha
OccupationCivil engineer (Transportation)
Websitewww.ArunaMiller.com

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]

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 New York and then attended Missouri University of Science and Technology 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 which 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. [3]

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

Education & Economy

In her first term, Delegate Miller sat 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[4]

In 2013 Delegate Miller was one of ten Maryland lawmakers named to the Maryland Business Climate Workgroup designed to make recommendations and develop long-term plans to streamline business regulations, encourage business innovation, and develop public-private partnerships to finance infrastructure[5]

Miller encouraged strengthening economic and cultural development between Maryland and India[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

Working Families

During her first term as a State Delegate, Miller introduced one of the early Maryland bills for paid family leave.[9]

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,[10] which laid the groundwork for the eventual passage of Maryland’s fracking ban, which she co-sponsored. [11]

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.

Other Notable Legislation

Co-Sponsor Marriage Equality Civil Marriage Protection Act[12]

Ending Capital Punishment in Maryland (Co-Sponsor)

Committees and Commissions

  • 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
  • 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.[13] In April 2018, Miller won a straw poll of Democratic activists in Western Maryland.[14] During the election, she was endorsed by the National Education Association,[15] the Sierra Club,[16] EMILY's List,[17] 314 Action,[18] and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand [19] among others.[20]

Miller was outspent in the primary 13:1[21] by David Trone, the largest self-funding congressional candidate in US history,[22] 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.[23] She won Montgomery County but this was the only voting district she won outright.[24]

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. ^ "Maryland Delegation 2012 Convention". Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  4. ^ "HB218 Securing the Future: Computer Science Education for All" (PDF). Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  5. ^ "Maryland Business Climate Workgroup". Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  6. ^ "India Abroad Report on Maryland Sister State" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  7. ^ "Governor O'Malley Announces Nearly $60 Million in Business Deals for Maryland, Touts Successful India Trade Mission". December 12, 2011.
  8. ^ "Maryland Delegate Aruna Miller announces participation in Trade Mission". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  9. ^ "HB1335 Employment Short Term Disability Insurance for Pregnancy Requirement" (PDF). Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  10. ^ "Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Act of 2011" (PDF). {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ "HB1325 Oil and Natural Gas - Hydraulic Fracturing - Prohibition". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  12. ^ "HB175 Civil Marriage Protection Act" (PDF). {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)
  13. ^ "As millionaires compete, 6th District House race shaping up to be Maryland's priciest". The Baltimore Sun. December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  14. ^ "Baker, Miller win straw polls of Democratic activists in Western Maryland". The Washington Post. April 22, 2018.
  15. ^ "Aruna Miller Receives National Teachers Union Endorsement". Bethesda Magazine. April 19, 2018.
  16. ^ "Sierra Club endorses Delegate Aruna Miller for MD 6th Congressional District". The Sierra Club. April 17, 2018.
  17. ^ "Emily's List Endorses Aruna Miller for Congress in Maryland's 6th District". Emily's List. August 31, 2017.
  18. ^ "Scientists group backs Aruna Miller in 6th District". The Baltimore Sun. November 20, 2017.
  19. ^ "N.Y. senator endorses state delegate in race to succeed Delaney in Maryland". The Washington Post. March 8, 2018.
  20. ^ "Aruna Miller Endorsements for Congress". Aruna Miller for Congress 2018. June 26, 2018.
  21. ^ "Can Aruna Miller win despite being outspent 13:1". The Washington Post. June 21, 2018.
  22. ^ "Largest Self-Funder in House History, Wins Democratic Nod in Maryland". Roll Call. June 26, 2018.
  23. ^ "Maryland's 6th Congressional District election (June 26, 2018 Democratic primary)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  24. ^ "Maryland Election Results".
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