Tarra Simmons (’17), Washington State Representative for the 23rd District, was quoted in POLITICO’s New York Playbook after visiting the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility with New York State Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs to discuss their states’ adherence to the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) laws. Tarra was later welcomed to “the People’s House” in Albany by Assemblyman Gibbs, whose “Gate Way” bill aims to provide people released from prison with $2,550 over six months (“Adams: Feds Playing ‘A Game’ with Funding,” Mar. 13). Citing their shared experience as two of six lawmakers in the country who were formerly incarcerated, Tarra noted, “We know what works and what people need when they come out of prison.”
