The 2024 legislative session kicked off in Illinois this week, and I'm back in Springfield!
While I am so excited to continue the work for equality and opportunity for folks across the district, I wanted to touch on some of the biggest accomplishments from last session. In 2023, I was able to:
Largely reform our criminal justice system by helping ban for-profit detention centers and eliminate cash-bail in our state to stop the cycle of mass-incarceration.
Support Illinois' hardest workers by getting temporary workers fair pay and working protections through legislation stopping businesses from permanently holding on to temp employees for lower rates than their full-time counterparts.
Protect our marginalized communities as chair of the Illinois Black Legislative Caucus by directing grant aid to food deserts, distributing stipend incentives for teachers in challenging schools, and establishing a task force to address mental health and trauma for students across Illinois.
Last year was full of victories, and building off of those will be even better – but it's going to take some hard work to make sure we get the support we need for reelection.
Senator Robert Peters was born in 1985 deaf and with a massive speech impediment. His biological mother was addicted to drugs and alcohol, and his adopted mother and father were a social worker and a civil rights lawyer. He saw first hand the impact and devastation of the racist war on drugs.
As he grew up, he admired the work his father did as a civil rights and criminal defense attorney, challenging wrongdoing by the police. This combined with the effect of the criminalization of addiction, inspired his work on criminal justice reform rooted in the safety, freedom, and wellness of all people.
A defining moment for Peters was the Great Recession, as he struggled to find work and lost his parents within a year and a half of each other. He found his power through political organizing in solidarity with a variety of organizations in Chicago fighting for justice.
As a state senator, Peters has championed the end of cash bail in Illinois after years of organizing around it before becoming a Senator. This legislative session alone, Peters has passed six bills out of the Senate, as he continues to push Illinois forward as a leader in criminal justice reform and true public safety for all. He chairs the Labor Committee in the Senate and is Chair of the Senate Black Caucus. He is focused on environmental justice, racial justice, economic freedom, and public safety for all.
Prefer to donate by mail? Please address a check to:
Peters for Illinois
PO Box 15118
Chicago, IL 60615-5139
