Turner Announces Retirement from the Illinois House

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Arthur Turner, D-Chicago, announced his retirement from the Illinois House of Representatives.

“It has been the honor of my life to serve as state representative for the people of the 9th District, ensuring that the voices of Chicago’s West Side communities were heard loud and clear in Springfield,” Turner said. “While this is a bittersweet moment for me, I am proud of the work of I’ve done building a stronger Illinois through criminal justice reform and creating economic opportunity for communities that are too often left behind.”

Turner has served in the Illinois House since December 2010 and rose to the rank of Deputy Majority Leader in the House Democratic Caucus. Turner’s legislative work focused on improving opportunities for communities that have historically faced disinvestment, disproportionate contact with the criminal justice system and a lack of economic opportunity.

During his tenure as a legislator, Turner was a leader in criminal justice reform efforts, fighting to improve conditions for incarcerated individuals and working to reduce recidivism for formerly incarcerated individuals by making it easier for them to find employment.

Turner also fought for educational equity to help level the playing field for Illinois students and families and stronger personal privacy measures to protect consumers. New education funding formulas help ensure that students and schools most in need receive their fair share of education funding in order to reduce academic achievement gaps while Turner’s push for greater consumer protection would ensure that Illinoisans are able to know what personal information online companies and services collect.

“Every day I have had the opportunity to serve the community I’ve always called home, my focus has been on showing the leaders of our state the realities that people in historically underserved communities face on a daily basis, and building consensus for change,” Turner said. “Now at the conclusion of my time in the House, we see that not only people across our state, but throughout our country are awakening to those realities and committing to work together for change. Like everyone in our community, I look forward to seeing this resolve continue to shape our city, our state and our country for the better.”