Robyn’s Policy Issues

Robyn is a champion for our environment, fighting to safeguard our planet for future generations. She believes everyone deserves clean air and water, a safe climate and a healthy, livable community regardless of their zip code. She understands that the actions we take now will define our planet’s course over the next century and that protecting the environment must be rooted in social and environmental justice. Robyn has distinguished herself as a leader on the environment by championing two of the most sweeping environmental laws in Illinois history. Starting with the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) and building upon its accomplishments by passing the Clean and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), Illinois has solidified its commitment to create green jobs, invest in our economy, and move us to cut carbon from the power sector by 2030 and commit to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Robyn believes everyone has a right to affordable healthcare. From expanding Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands of women and children to advocating for proper support for Illinoisans with developmental disabilities, ensuring access to health care has been at the core of her life’s work. She is committed to protecting the right of each individual to bodily autonomy and to make decisions about their own healthcare. As Chair of the Medicaid and Managed Care Subcommittee, she played a key role in passing a budget that helps to create a more equitable and inclusive health care system in Illinois.

Robyn believes in assuring that every vote counts and that every eligible person can vote. She has successfully made Illinois a national leader on voting access and expanded rights for the most marginalized. She knows good policy thrives when government is operating with efficiency, accountability and the trust of the public. She has distinguished herself as a leader who will challenge the status quo to ensure that legislators are serving the people, not special interests.

Robyn is passionately dedicated to ensuring women’s rights to healthcare, economic equality, and freedom from violence and discrimination. She supports full spectrum reproductive health care from birth control to abortion. Her career for over twenty years was building a not-for-profit from the ground up into a major force in Illinois on maternal and child healthcare. She ran for State Representative to continue that work and hasn’t looked back. A trailblazer in Springfield, Robyn now makes it her mission to mentor other progressive female elected officials and do all she can do to lift up young women and girls.

Promoting a just and equitable society is at the root of Robyn’s work. Pressing for necessary reforms to our criminal justice system, especially for juveniles, is one of her primary missions.  Robyn believes that Illinois will only progress when we have a more fair and just criminal justice system that recognizes that systemic racism exists and that we have a responsibility to eradicate it for future generations.

Robyn has worked tirelessly at the forefront of the gun safety movement. She has promoted common sense reforms to protect our children, keep our streets safe and support first responders and victims of crime. She believes that to improve public safety, we must address the root causes of gun violence. She has supported legislative solutions that replace current tactics that lead to unequal treatment for low income and minority offenders and are less costly to taxpayers. She understands that tackling violence requires a comprehensive plan utilizing community input and evidence-based approaches.