Rep. Steven Roberts Jr. is a St. Louis native who is passionate about criminal justice reform
in Missouri. He is a member of the Missouri House of Representatives and the
Chairman of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus. Since he started his career,
Roberts has become known for his sense of social justice, and he has earned an
excellent reputation for diligently serving his community.
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Rep. Steven Roberts of St.Louis takes gun violence very seriously. As a passionate advocate for
common-sense gun laws, Rep. Roberts is aware that teaching children about gun
safety is one of the most important places to start, and parents and educators
can take the following ideas into account:
·Store unloaded guns safely and securely in a
vault, lockable cabinet, safe, or storage case, with the ammunition locked in a
separate place. Keep the location of the keys secret. Children are curious, and
it’s important that you make every step as difficult as possible for them to
avoid them ever being alone with a gun.
·Teach children that if they ever see a gun in
public to never go near it nor touch it and that they are never allowed to be
near a gun unless you are present, even at a friend’s house.
Rep. Steven Roberts Jr. was born in St. Louis and is proud to be able to serve his community every day.
During the 2018 Missouri State legislative session, Rep. Steven Roberts Jr. of St. Louis introduced and sponsored HB 1996—a bill created to
make racial and gender bias training a basic aspect of peace officer basic
training throughout the state of Missouri.
The bill, which was officially introduced at the beginning of
the session, specified that such a curriculum must be based on evidence and
evidence-based practices, patterns and protocols—and shall prescribe such that
help prevent identity and racial profiling in the future.
In the bill, Rep. Steve Roberts of St. Louis included a
provision designed to establish the "Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory
Board," the purpose of which being to stop racial and identity profiling in law
enforcement, and to improve racial sensitivity throughout the law enforcement
community.
HB 1996 was referred to the Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety last May, though it is not currently on the legislative calendar.
Missouri State Rep. Steven Roberts Jr., the representative of District
77 and portions of St. Louis City, recently ran for and won reelection.
Currently, in his second term as a state house representative, Roberts enjoys
the honor of serving his constituents for another two years. He hopes to work
toward meaningful reforms that benefit his District, the City and citizens
throughout the state.
When asked about that "defining
moment" that led him to initially run for office, Rep.
Steve Roberts of St. Louis credits the time he served as prosecutor in the
Circuit Attorney’s Office—particularly the observation he made regarding the
disproportionate number of young black men circulating through the criminal
justice system at the time.
“I saw young black men, like myself, in orange jumpsuits chained
together,” says Roberts. “Day after day, I saw the same thing until it became
apparent that this was the norm. That could have been me, if I had been born
under different circumstances. Locking people up is not a solution to the
problem. I knew that I could have a greater impact at the policy level."
Roberts works toward making much needed criminal justice reform as Ranking Member of the Special Committee on Criminal Justice.
Missouri House Rep. Steven Roberts Jr. was recently reelected to
serve a second term as the District 77 representative. Privileged to serve
constituents in portions of St. Louis City for yet another two years, Rep.
Roberts looks forward to defending and advancing the interests of his
constituents and all Missourians throughout his next term.
Rep. Steve Roberts Jr. is currently serving as the Ranking
Member on the Special Committee on Criminal Justice—working with colleagues to
make significant, much-needed reforms to the state’s criminal justice system.
He also serves as member of the Utilities, Judiciary and Workforce Development
Committees—and is proud to serve as current Chairman of the Missouri House and
Senate Black Caucus.
Prior to last November’s election, Roberts sat down with Missouri Times Magazine to take part in the publication’s 20 Questions series. Click here to view the article in its entirety.
Missouri State Rep. Steven Roberts Jr.—who represents parts of
St. Louis City—recently released his legislative survey. Roberts is encouraging
his constituents to take a few moments to complete the survey—an effort to
garner the feedback and input so crucial to shaping and driving forward his
2019 legislative agenda.
“We are enabled to step out and make a difference ourselves, to
be the change. Never underestimate yourselves, or your ability to impact the
system. It is our responsibility to be informed, to do the research, and to
make our voices heard,” said Rep. Steven Roberts Jr., D-City of St. Louis. "Take
a moment to make a difference in your community and to make your voice heard."
Within his survey, Rep. Roberts has included questions on such
topics as civil rights, transportation infrastructure, appropriations, law
enforcement, economic development, public defenders, corrections, weapons and
telecommunications. Visit Roberts’ official Housepage
today to learn more.
Rep. Steven Roberts Jr. of St. Louis is a member of the Missouri House of
Representatives known for his strong sense of civic responsibility and his love
of community. He is passionate about helping others and he serves as Chairman
of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus.
In 2018, he was elected for his
second term, and he couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to continue
serving St. Louis and its residents.
“My primary job as State Representative is to stand up for the interests of the people of the 77th District,” said Rep. Steven Roberts Jr. of St. Louis before discussing some of the important bills that he has sponsored and helped pass.
For example, he passed legislation that helps pharmacies save people money on prescription drugs, and he co-sponsored legislation to help adults finish their high-school education. With a criminal justice reform as his primary focus, he also sponsored bills to raise the age at which children can be charged as adults and to establish racial bias training for police officers.
Rep. Steven
Roberts Jr. of St. Louis was reelected as a member of the Missouri House of
Representatives in November 2018 to serve a second two-year term. He represents
portions of St. Louis City, ranging from the central corridor east to the
riverfront, and he loves his hometown.
As a fourth-generation native of St.
Louis, Mr. Robert says his parents and grandparents fought to overcome segregation
and discrimination as they established their successful careers. His mother
became a distinguished doctor and his father became a respected attorney, St.
Louis Alderman and successful businessman.
He says that he learned his sense of
civic responsibility and social justice from his parents, and he is eternally
grateful to them.
“My parents encouraged our individuality, but what I value most is our cohesiveness,” said Rep. Steven Roberts Jr. of St. Louis in a recent interview with Missouri Times Magazine. “We have the usual good-natured and sometimes very real sibling rivalry, but we are always, without fail, there for each other.”
Rep.
Steven Roberts Jr. of St. Louis is a fourth generation St. Louis native who was
re-elected to his second term in November of 2018 as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives.
He is a passionate and dedicated professional with a
reputation for his strong sense of civic responsibility and social justice.
He's also Chairman of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus, and a member of
the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Missouri.
In a recent
interview regarding his reelection, he was asked who he most admires in his
caucus and why, and his response reflects his passion for change:
"Representative Gail McCann Beatty," responded Rep. Steven Roberts Jr. of St. Louis, "even though the Republican Party holds a super majority in the House and Senate as well as a majority of the state’s executive offices, Gail fought for our values with passion.
I admire how she’s been able to keep our caucus focused, despite the challenges of being greatly outnumbered."
Rep. Steven Roberts Jr. of St. Louis is a member
of the Missouri House of Representatives who was reelected for his second term
in November of 2018.
He is a fourth generation St. Louis native whose sense
of civic responsibility and social justice has earned him an excellent
reputation, and he has received several awards for his dedication to those
causes.
During his tenure in the House of Representatives, he has set his
sights on reforming the criminal justice system as his number one priority.
"There is no denying that the current system disproportionately and negatively impacts communities of color, the waste in lost human potential is absolutely staggering," said Rep. Steven Roberts Jr. of St. Louis in a recent interview.
"Mandatory minimums for nonviolent offenses need to be eliminated, there needs to be increased funding for diversion and drug courts, as well as an end to money bail. As a nation, we can do a better job of holding to our basic principles of equality and justice for all."
Rising star of the Democratic Party and chair
of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus, St. Louis Rep. Steven Roberts was
recently interviewed by Scott Faughn for This Week in Missouri Politics.
When asked what the Legislative Black Caucus is
and why it matters, Steven Roberts Jr. explained, "The important thing
about the Black Caucus is we're focused on issues facing the African-American
community and we're especially relevant now that we make up half of the
Democratic Caucus."
When asked about some practical things St. Louis Rep. Steve Roberts wanted to impact, he spoke about criminal justice reform and working with Republicans to raise the age of who can be charged as an adult. To see the entire interview, click here.
During the 2018 legislative session, St. Louis Rep. Steven Roberts sponsored several House bills that he believes are in the
best interest of all Missourians, including a bill that would abolish the death
penalty.
Rep. Steven Roberts Jr. of St. Louis explains
that House Bill 2218 would repeal provisions that allow
courts to issue the death penalty as punishment and would require courts to
change the sentencing on anyone currently facing the death penalty who were
sentenced prior to August 28, 2018.
A state legislator who represents portions of St. Louis, Rep. Steve Roberts works hard to advocate for solutions that benefit his constituents, as well as people throughout Missouri. House Bill 2218 was referred to the House Committee on Crime Prevention and Safety during the 2018 legislative session.
Rep. Steven Roberts of St. Louis sponsored House Bill 2526 during the 2018 legislative session
of the Missouri’s General Assembly.
Steven Roberts Jr. explains that House Bill
2526 would remove the requirement that certain defendants serve out specified
minimum sentences upon conviction (i.e., mandatory minimum sentences).
In addition to the elimination of mandatory
minimum sentences, St. Louis Rep. Steve Roberts explains that House Bill 2526
specifies that any offender who meets certain qualifications would be eligible
for a parole hearing (excluding those found guilty of first-degree murder or
certain sexual offenses).
The bill was referred to the House Corrections and
Public Institutions Committee during the 2018 legislative session.
