Welcome to Senator Christopher Belt's legislative website

New Belt law reduces barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated individuals

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt led a bipartisan effort to provide formerly incarcerated individuals with a second chance to maintain a publicly clean licensing record. The new law allows these individuals to continue serving the people of Illinois as licensed professionals while still providing the state with the flexibility to decide when to issue a license for protection of the public.

“This law will help people who, despite their past, want to get out there and work” said Belt (D-Swansea). “This is another great step on the path to allowing those with criminal records to start over and become productive members in a community.”

Belt’s new law is a result of findings from the Comprehensive Licensing Information to Minimize Barriers task force. The goals of the CLIMB task force were to identify low- and middle-income licensed occupations, gather information from the regulatory board for those occupations and create a final report with recommendations for the General Assembly. The report found that unnecessary restrictions and confusing procedures can discourage citizens with a history of involvement with the justice system from even trying to get a license. The task force’s recommendations, now implemented in House Bill 4762, included replacing vague language like "good moral character” and not considering arrests that did not lead to conviction. They also recommended that the state continue to pursue the approach developed by the Justice Center's Fair Change Licensing Reform project, which aimed to create a more equitable process for licensure by considering factor's beyond criminal records.

Read more: New Belt law reduces barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated individuals

Illinois bans AI use for teacher evaluations

SPRINGFIELD– State Senator Christopher Belt spearheaded a new law that will ban the use of AI tools in teacher evaluations.

“I believe that our teachers should be judged based on actual observations and professional judgement, not by AI software,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “Our educators deserve a transparent and fair evaluation process that demonstrates their actual work in the classroom and protects their privacy.”

Senate Bill 2909 will prevent school administrators from using AI to write teacher evaluations. A teacher evaluation is a formal process used to measure an educator's effectiveness, instructional skills and classroom performance. The use of AI while writing these evaluations brings up many transparency and privacy concerns for teachers.

The law recognizes that AI might become an integral part of the teacher evaluation process one day, but the technology is not there yet. The law will not stop evaluators from using AI for administrative tasks. If the evaluator chooses to use AI assisted tools, they must name and specify the purpose of the tool used in the evaluation and share that information with the teacher being evaluated.

Senate Bill 2909 was signed into law on Friday.

Belt secures over $800,000 for Metro East libraries

SWANSEA – State Senator Christopher Belt announced 31 public libraries and school districts across the Metro East are set to receive more than $800,000 for library services, enhanced programming and construction and security upgrades.

“Libraries are places where no one is turned away,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “Whether you seek knowledge or a place to feel a part of something, libraries will always be there to help you along the way.”

More than $27 million was awarded to over 640 public libraries and 2,500 school libraries statewide through the Illinois Secretary of State’s Public Library Per Capita and Equalization Aid Grants, Security and Construction Grants and School Library Grants. The funding will support libraries’ investments in reading materials, technology, literacy programs, infrastructure improvements and security upgrades. School library grants, awarded once every fiscal year, will support student learning and literacy from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Read more: Belt secures over $800,000 for Metro East libraries

Belt kicks off 2026 Summer Book Club

SWANSEA – State Senator Christopher Belt is launching a Summer Reading Club for students to encourage continued learning throughout the summer.

“It’s important to keep kids engaged throughout the summer through reading, and it’s important for kids to become stronger readers to succeed in school and life,” said Belt (D-Swansea).

The Summer Book Club requires students to read eight books of their choice during the summer break, record the names of the books on a form, and return the form to Belt’s Swansea office or East St. Louis office by Aug. 14. Every child who completes the Summer Book Club will receive a gift card and a certificate from Belt.

You can fill out the Summer Book Club forms online at SenatorBelt.com. People with questions can reach out to Belt’s East St. Louis office at 618-875-1212 or Swansea office at 618-416-2452.