Biography

Assemblywoman Joan L. Millman was first elected to the Assembly on February 18, 1997 in a special election. Since then, she has diligently served the 52nd Assembly District which includes the neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Gowanus, the Columbia Street Waterfront District and parts of Park Slope, downtown Brooklyn and Prospect Heights.

A life-long educator, Millman spent over three decades working on behalf of New York City’s children. From 1964 to 1984, she taught elementary school and served as the school librarian at P.S. 10 in Brooklyn. From 1985 to 1996, Millman served as an educational consultant to New York City Council President Carol Bellamy and State Senator Martin Connor and served as a facilitator for Comprehensive School Development and Planning. Millman also served as a member of the Citywide Advisory Committee on Middle School Initiatives from 1995 to 1996, where she assisted middle schools in District 15 in Brooklyn.

Since being elected to the Assembly, Millman has authored and sponsored legislation that has saved lives, protected consumers, and improved the quality of life for New Yorkers. Millman has been a leading advocate on senior and education issues and for consumer rights. In June of 2011 she was appointed Chair of the Assembly’s Standing Committee on Aging. The Committee is responsible for analyzing all issues ranging from transportation assistance, long-term care, healthcare, prescription drug coverage, elder abuse and enhancing the day-to-day life of seniors. Previously Millman chaired the Assembly Committee on Election Law where she worked to increase access to voting, limit the influence of special interests in elections, and level the playing field between political candidates.

Assemblywoman Millman was an early advocate for the creation of the Brooklyn Bridge Park and has worked to revitalize the entire Brooklyn waterfront. She has been on the forefront of the struggle to clean up the Gowanus Canal and adjacent properties, and lead the fight to keep Engine Company 205 open in the summer of 2011. She has been a strong advocate for our schools and has worked to protect our senior centers. Every year, Assemblywoman Millman sponsors numerous initiatives to bring needed services to her constituents. Some of her accomplishments during the 2011 session were rejecting the plan to strip $36 million in Title XX discretionary funding from senior centers, passing legislation requiring all trucks and tractor trailers to have convex (crossover) mirrors as they drive through the streets of New York City, fighting for the extension and expansion of rent regulation laws and sponsoring legislation to ban hydraulic fracturing in the state.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brooklyn College, a Master’s in Library Science from Pratt Institute and a Professional Diploma from Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus.