Like Avinash Iragavarapu who is tirelessly working for Donald Trump’s presidential race, Hillary Clinton also has a Telugu connection with her campaign. Katragadda Aruna Miller, a Maryland democrat delegate, she is the first Indian American woman to be elected to the Maryland legislature and first Telugu Women to be serving in the US politics.
Katragadda Aruna Miller was born November 6, 1964, in Ventrapragada Village, Pedaparupdi mandal, Krishna Dist. 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
Aruna Miller was sworn in as a member of House of Delegates on January 12, 2011 and appointed to the Ways and Means Committee (revenue, transportation & education subcommittees). She is a member of the Land Use and Transportation Committee of the Montgomery County Delegation and a member of the Women Legislators of Maryland where she serves on the executive board. After re-election in 2014, Miller was appointed to serve on the Appropriations Committee where she is Chair of the Oversight of Personnel Subcommittee and vice-Chair of the Transportation & Environment Subcommittee and in 2016 was appointed as vice-Chair of the Capital Budget.
While in the House of Delegates, Aruna has been a champion of legislation to protect children and environment, and promote public safety. She has been the Primary Sponsor on several key pieces of legislation including:
• Extending Statute of Limitation for minors to report the sexual offenses. • Banning the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. • Banning the sale of Mephedrone a powerful hallucinogenic drug covertly sold as bath salts. • Ending the state mandated distribution of White Pagesv. • Increasing the state wide teleworking goals for Maryland.
Aruna’s journey from a small town to becoming a Maryland delegate is so inspiring to all immigrants who step on the land of opportunity with a dream of making it big.
