The 17th district is located in Montgomery County, and includes Gaithersburg, Rockville and Garrett Park.

Born in Winchester, Virginia, on January 27, 1949, Simmons attended Plainview – Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School in Plainview, New York, graduating in 1966.

According to a 1982 article in The Washington Post, his mother is Brazilian American.

[1] After law school, Simmons served as the General Counsel for U. S. Representative Newton I. Steers from 1976 to 1978.

[1] He is the former executive director of the Montgomery-Prince George's Continuing Legal Education Institute, Inc.[2][1] He is a partner in the law firm of Auerbach & Simmons[1] and represented state delegate Kumar P. Barve on an alcohol-related traffic charge.