Delegate Ariana Kelly has spent her career advocating for the diverse needs of women and families. Since election in 2010, she has represented Maryland's 16th District in the House of Delegates. She is a leader on issues important to families, having passed laws to expand insurance coverage for autism treatment, require hospitals to treat rape victims, and increase access to parental leave for workers. Delegate Kelly serves on the Legislature's Health and Government Operations Committee and Chairs the Economic Development Committee and Democratic Caucus for the Montgomery County Delegation. Outside of the legislature, Ms. Kelly is Executive Director of Suited for Change, a nonprofit job readiness organization. Prior to that she served as Environmental Health Campaign Director at MomsRising and Executive Director at NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland. She has also served as Executive Producer for the national PBS news program To The Contrary, and on the staff of the national education and advocacy organization Girls Inc.
Blog Post List
October 20, 2015
My eleven year old daughter Maeve is excited. She and I were at a debate watch party when former Maryland Governor (and Presidential candidate!) Martin O’Malley said with great pride that he had expanded parental leave in our state. I’m not going to lie, I screamed with joy. That’s my bill! My little baby bill! I asked Maeve the next morning how that made her feel. Here’s what she had to say: maeve.png As a state legislator I have been working for the last five years (since Maeve was six!) to build support for Paid Family Leave in Maryland. In 2010 when I was first elected, I knew I was going...
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June 22, 2010
In Annapolis this morning, a coalition of children's health and environmental advocates gathered to honor Senator Brian Frosh and Delegate James Hubbard for their leadership on the state's successful BPA Bill. MomsRising was joined by Maryland PIRG , Maryland Nurses Association , and and Black Nurses Association to present the Children's Health Advocate of the Year award to Sen. Frosh (D-16, Bethesda) and Del. Hubbard (D-23A, Prince George's County) for their leadership eliminating Bisphenol-A (BPA) from children's products in Maryland. Other partners in this group effort included...
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April 30, 2010
For years now, we've been working to get dangerous chemicals out of children's products. Now our voices are being heard -- and things are heating up in Washington, DC! In case you've been a little busy with juggling work, laundry, and a hectic schedule this week, here is the scoop: *Following the momentum we built passing state laws in Maryland, Connecticut, Washington, Minnesota and Wisconsin; a federal bill banning BPA has emerged with a real chance in the U.S. Senate. *After more than a year of organizing from moms and allies, the Safe Chemicals Act has finally been introduced. This bill...
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April 27, 2010
After way too many food recalls and contamination scares in everything from peanut butter to spinach, Congress is taking action. The U.S. Senate is about to consider a critical food safety bill that would ramp up protections against food contaminants like E.coli and salmonella. This is already an incredibly important bill for moms and families, and it is backed by unusually strong bipartisan support- but there’s even more to this story. In addition to addressing the potential risks of accidental food contamination, the Senate is also poised to address other hidden dangers lurking inside most...
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April 22, 2010
My kindergartener went to school today with an empty 2-liter bottle. The plan? Quite frankly, it's a mystery to me, but I know it involves celebrating Earth Day, so I was happy to do my part by digging through the recycling bin for the perfect contribution. She, like millions of kids across the country today, will come home excited to tell me about her Earth Day project. How will I respond? I'll proudly tell her I also did my part for the environment today by sending a letter to Congress urging support for safer chemicals in products used by babies and children, and in all consumer products...
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April 20, 2010
We said it wouldn’t impact our marriage, but of course it does. How could it not? My husband makes more money than I do. Of course, he is a financial services consultant, and I work in feminist advocacy – so we saw this coming. We thought we were prepared. We had a plan. Before kids, we split all the bills down the middle, and lived a lifestyle I could afford. After kids, he paid for daycare. But come on, it seems fair. After all, I carried them for ten months, endured childbirth, breastfeeding, and all sorts of postpartum surprise physical changes (why don’t we talk about these things before...
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April 6, 2010
What do a bunch of moms, parents, advocates, and a 20 foot tall rubber ducky have in common? All of them were outside of the annual chemicals industry convention in Baltimore last week, letting the industry know that “You Can’t Duck Real Reform!” And they weren’t the only ones speaking out for chemical reform: Over the past month, MomsRising members across the country have sent more than 50,000 letters to Congress urging immediate reform to protect our kids from toxic chemicals ! Right now, legislation is finally being drafted in Congress to reform the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (...
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February 18, 2010
Our friends at Earthjustice recently shared the story of Cindy Dominguez and her family with us. Cindy's story, and the stories of many like her, inspired MomsRising to sign on to a petition from Earthjustice and Farmworker Justice to the Environmental Protection Agency calling for commonsense safety standards protecting children who grow up near farms from the harmful effects of pesticide drift. Here is Cindy's story: Apple orchards are everywhere in Cindy Dominguez’s town in eastern Washington. The trees, nestled against schools and homes, bring more than apples though: they also bring...
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February 1, 2010
President Obama made an important promise last week during the State of the Union address: "We are going to crack down on violations of equal pay laws - so that women get equal pay for an equal day's work." Now it's time for us to turn this promise into reality. Thanks to President Obama's declaration in the State of the Union, the issue of modern women still not getting equal pay for equal work is in the spotlight. And it's not just President Obama who's paying increased attention to this issue right now. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid--after receiving requests from MomsRising members and...
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January 6, 2010
Our colleagues at Breast Cancer Fund sent us this notice about an opportunity to volunteer in a study about the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). Check it out! *** Researchers at Vassar College, the Breast Cancer Fund and Silent Spring Institute are collaborating on a study to determine whether or not eating only fresh (non-processed) foods will decrease the level of the endocrine disrupting chemicals Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates in our bodies. We are seeking families with two children between the ages of 3-11 and two adult parents (of any gender), who all live in one residence, to participate...
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December 7, 2009
The hottest news across my Facebook and in-box this morning was the GoodGuide findings of dangerous metals and the chemical antimony in the season's most popular holiday toy, zhu zhu pets . The manufacturer is standing by their product. Stay tuned! (UPDATE: CPSC found the product is safe ). But moms, has this other important link also been all over your Facebook? If not, it should have been. This weekend, in another great piece in the NY Times , woman-friendly columnist Nicholas Kristoff asks: What if breast cancer in the United States has less to do with insurance or mammograms and more to...
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November 23, 2009
At MomsRising, we've been working for years to keep kids safe from toxic Bisphenol-A (BPA) in food containers and bottles. We've generated tens of thousands of letters to Congress and state legislatures, and sent pages of petition signatures to manufacturers. We've made progress -- but we still have a ways to go! The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing BPA, and they are scheduled to release their recommendations next week. The more of us working together right now to finally rid food containers of toxic BPA, the better. That's why we're partnering with CREDO Action on this last-minute...
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November 3, 2009
Chemical security is probably not something you think about every day, nor should it be! As parents, we have enough to worry about. That’s why we need government and businesses to do their jobs to minimize the risks our families face from toxic chemicals. Did you know that this summer in North Carolina, a mom died when she was exposed to an ammonia spill on her way to work? According to The State, a South Carolina newspaper: “Thirty-eight-year-old Jacqueline Patrice Ginyard — Treecie to family members — died in a bizarre chemical accident as she drove to work. A toxic fog of ammonia leaked...
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October 15, 2009
Well, here we go again. Virginia seems to be stuck rehashing the culture wars of the 1980's in their Governor's race, but with a new twist. Instead of one side demonizing working women, both sides are loving us up (although one could argue at times it's still a bit patronizing). Seems that Republican candidate Bob McDonnell said some unfortunate things in his 1989 graduate thesis , including calling working women "materialistic" and this gem opposing tax credits for child care: "Further expenditures would be used to subsidize a dynamic new trend of working women and feminists that is...
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September 17, 2009
Do you have friends or co-workers who use women's handbags, buy children's toys, car seats, or even have a pet or two? Well, yeah, that covers just about everyone we know! None of us want these products to expose us to toxic chemicals that are associated with health problems, but it turns out some of these commonly used products do just that. The big question we all have is: Which of these products are a problem? Now you can help your friends and family members by sharing a new resource that has just been released this week: Healthy Stuff tested 5,000 products for unhealthy chemicals, and...
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August 17, 2009
Ever notice those PVC free labels on products and think... I should know what that's about, but I haven't got the time to find out? Me too. Turns out that the production of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC—is incredibly bad for the environment. But there’s more! PVC is also a major source of phthalates, yes, the same dangerous plastic softeners we successfully banned from children's toys last year. Phthalates have been banned in children's toys, but they're still legal in PVC school supplies our children come in contact with on a daily basis. Phthalates harm children's health and development by...
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July 30, 2009
Want to say goodbye to those ever increasing parental worries about toxic chemicals used in everything from sunblock to beach balls, and even canned peaches? So do we! We're sick and tired of reading report after report about dangers associated with the products we use everyday: Biphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles, soda cans, and other everyday products; phthalates in toys and pacifiers; formaldehyde in baby shampoo. In fact, dangerous chemicals are found in everything from cosmetics to bedding to school supplies. Really, enough is enough! That's why MomsRising has joined a growing movement of...
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July 4, 2009
This July 4, MomsRising is urging our members to declare independence from toxic chemicals and become part of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families campaign! At MomsRising, we hear from members all the time who are deeply concerned about dangerous chemicals in the environment and in the products we use every day, including toys, food containers, cleaning products, even maternity and infant gear. That’s why we have joined the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families campaign. This campaign is a national effort to create a strong, comprehensive solution to fix the law that is failing to protect our...
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May 19, 2009
I support equality for the sexes, but this wasn’t what I had in mind! Adding to the mounting evidence against the toxic chemical bisphenol-A (BPA), a study released last week ( http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.03.005 ) found male monkeys exposed to BPA while in the womb display behaviors unique to female monkeys once they’re born. Yes, this is the same BPA still used to make baby bottles, sippy cups, reusable water bottles, and other food containers. In fact, more than 200 studies have linked BPA exposures at very low doses to breast and prostate cancer, obesity, diabetes, altered...
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February 26, 2009
For the second time in as many years, peanut butter contaminated with deadly salmonella has been recalled. Even my pre-kindergartener could tell something was wrong—after her favorite peanut butter sandwiches were temporarily pulled from her lunch box.
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