Meet Dagmara  “Dee” Avelar

Dagmara Avelar is the State Representative for the 85th House District, where she was first elected to represent in 2020. For over a decade she has dedicated her life to advocating for working families, focusing particularly on projects addressing the barriers of low-income and limited English proficient Illinois residents. Previous to becoming a state legislator, Rep. Avelar led the biggest naturalization efforts in the State of Illinois: The New Americans Initiative. 

A community organizer at heart, she got involved at a young age in civic engagement efforts to get out the vote of disenfranchised voters in the southwest suburbs. She’s a formerly undocumented DREAMer who naturalized and became a U.S. Citizen in 2016. 

During her first term in office, Rep. Avelar hit the ground running by introducing legislation guided by constituents and leaders of the 85th District. Her work included legislation to combat the opioid crisis, increase access and transparency in healthcare, and protect drinking water. She brought over $100 million in funding for the areas of education, infrastructure, social services, small businesses, and other industries. She is a member of the Restore, Reinvest, Renew (R3) board which oversees the grant making process of R3 funds in Illinois. She is also a member of the Task Force on Foster Youth Transitioning Out of Care. 

In her first term she served on the following committees: 

  • Appropriations-Public Safety

  • Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, & IT

  • Health Care Availability & Access

  • Judiciary - Civil

  • State Government Administration

  • Transportation: Regulation, Roads

  • Family Law & Probate Subcommittee

To view current committees, click here.

She is the House Chair of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus, and as previous co-chair of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation, she led the organization to the hiring of its first full-time Executive Director, advised on programming, and collaborated in efforts for the foundation to raise over $1 million in its 20th year anniversary gala. 

A proud graduate of our public school system, Avelar went to Bolingbrook High School, Northeastern Illinois University and is currently working on her Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois in Chicago.