Jo Anne Simon was elected to represent the 52nd District of the New York State Assembly in 2014. She is the Chair of the Committee on Ethics and Guidance. Jo Anne has earned a reputation as a fierce advocate for Brooklyn and an effective legislator. She has worked to give Brooklyn's communities a voice in the decisions that affect their lives, promote environmental justice, increase affordable housing, fight sexual harassment, and improve street safety and access to education.

She has passed major legislation on campaign finance reform, gender equity, and gun violence prevention. She passed the Extreme Risk Protection Orders bill, which would temporarily restrict access to firearms for those who pose a serious risk of harm to themselves or others. She also helped establish the state’s first firearms violence prevention research institute.

Jo Anne hosts an annual Dyslexia Awareness Day in Albany and passed legislation so that children can learn to read and be successful students by identifying their learning disabilities and ensuring appropriate educational interventions. She has championed free school meals for all children and worked to ensure that no kids are shamed because their families don’t have enough money to pay for school meals. She is also a strong advocate for criminal justice reforms and has fought to break the school-to-prison pipeline.

A former teacher of the deaf, sign language interpreter and disability civil rights attorney, Jo Anne is a nationally recognized expert in her field. Her work has been featured in the New York and National Law Journals. Jo Anne was also an adjunct Assistant Professor of Law at Fordham.