Elgie R. Sims Jr. is the
Illinois state Senator
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...
for the 17th district. The 17th district includes the
Chatham neighborhoods of Chicago along with the all or parts of
Burnham,
Calumet City
Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census, a decline of 2.7% from 37,042 in 2010. The ZIP code is 60409.
Etymology
The word ''Calumet'' is the Miꞌkmaq and French word for a ...
,
Lansing
Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...
,
Ford Heights
Ford Heights (formerly East Chicago Heights) is a village and a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,813 at the 2020 census. Many of the area’s first settlers were African American and since its i ...
,
Lynwood,
Sauk Village,
Beecher Beecher may refer to:__NOTOC__
People
*Beecher (surname)
Places United States
*Beecher, Illinois
*Beecher, Michigan, a census-designated place and unincorporated community near Flint
*Beecher, Wisconsin, a town
*Beecher (community), Wisconsin, an ...
,
Manteno
Manteno is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,204 at the 2010 census, up from 6,414 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Kankakee-Bourbonnais-Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Ori ...
and
Grant Park.
Early life and career
Sims, a second-generation small business owner, currently resides in Chicago's Chatham community. He grew up in Chicago's far south side West Pullman neighborhood. A graduate of Quigley Preparatory Seminary South High School in Chicago, he matriculated to Illinois State University where he received his Bachelor of Science degree. He received his start in government while serving as the first African American Student Regent representing Illinois State University to the Board of Regents, the former governing board for the Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University and the former Sangamon State University (now the University of Illinois at Springfield).
Following graduation from Illinois State University, Sims went to work for former Senate President Emil Jones, Jr. as a Budget Analyst, eventually rising to become Appropriations Director. During his service with Jones and the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus, Sims completed a Master's in Public Administration at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Upon leaving his service with the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus, Sims started a consulting firm and attended Law School at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree and subsequently opened a law firm.
Electoral history
After winning the March 2012 Democratic Primary for State Representative of the 34th District and while awaiting the 2012 General Election, on August 3, 2012, Sims was appointed to the
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...
to succeed and complete the unexpired term of
Constance A. Howard
Constance A. Howard (born 1942) is an American politician. She is a former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 34th District from 1995 to 2012. In 2008, Howard was named as one of Utne Reader
''Utne Re ...
.
On January 26, 2018, Sims was appointed to the
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...
to complete the unexpired term of
Donne Trotter following his resignation, he was elected to a full term in the Senate on November 6, 2018.
Nicholas Smith was appointed to succeed Sims in the Illinois House and took office on February 3, 2018.
Later that year, Sims was elected to serve as the Chair of the
Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Legislative Conference.
Illinois House of Representatives
During his time in the Illinois House of Representatives, Sims served as Chairman of the influential House Judiciary - Criminal Committee, during which he distinguished himself as one of Illinois' leading voices on Criminal Justice Reform. He passed initiatives such as the Police and Community Relations Improvement Act of 2015 and the Bail Reform Act of 2017, he also served on the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform. During his service in the Illinois House, Sims served as Vice-Chairman of the Mass Transit Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Revenue and Finance Committee and on the Appropriations-Human Services, Business Growth and Incentives, Business Occupational Licenses, Insurance, Judiciary, and Transportation Committees.
Illinois Senate
In the Illinois Senate, Sims continues championing legislation focused on improving the quality of life for the people of the 17th District and across the state of Illinois by improving schools, strengthening the middle class by creating good paying jobs and economic opportunities, bringing fiscal discipline to Springfield and passing commonsense public safety initiatives with the aim of making our streets safer. Sims currently serves as Chairman of the Senate's Appropriations Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Criminal Law Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Redistricting Committee as well as a member of the Ethics, Judiciary, Public Safety and Revenue Committees.
In 2020, Sims led efforts to pass the Criminal Justice, Violence Reduction and Police Accountability pillar of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus' Anti-Racism Agenda, which culminated in the passage of House Bill 3653, th
SAFE-T Act signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker on February 22, 2021.
References
External links
Representative Elgie R. Sims Jr. (D) 34th Districtat the Illinois General Assembly
**By session
98th97th*
at Illinois House Democrats
Senator Elgie Simsat Illinois Senate Democrats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, Elgie
Living people
Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives
Loyola University Chicago School of Law alumni
Illinois State University alumni
University of Illinois at Springfield alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American politicians