Donne Trotter was a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing 16th district from 1993 to 2003 and the 17th district from 2003 to 2018. Previously, he was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1988 through 1993. On January 19, 2018, Trotter announced his retirement from the Illinois Senate.
As a senator, he sponsored legislation that would allow adults to purchase sterile syringes from pharmacies without a prescription. He co-sponsored a bill that allows individuals to file a petition asking for their personal police record to be sealed after which no one would have access to the records except law enforcement agencies. Trotter worked to provide health care to low-income families. He fought to include funding in the state budget for the FamilyCare program, which provides health insurance to the parents of children enrolled in KidCare. In 2001, Trotter sponsored and passed the law that created the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act. The legislation provides that birth parents may legally leave a newborn at a hospital, fire station, or emergency medical facility. If neither child abuse nor neglect is suspected, no questions are asked. Trotter is a vocal advocate of gun control laws, having cosponsored 31 bills on the issue. He served as Assistant Majority Leader during his time in the Illinois Senate.
Committee assignments
In the 99th General Assembly Senator Trotter is a member of the following committees; Energy and Public Utilities, Appropriations I, Executive, the Committee of the Whole and the Special Committee on Oversight of Medicaid Managed Care. He serves on the Executive Committee's Subcommittee on Governmental Operations and its Subcommittee on Gaming. He is also the vice-chairperson of the Appropriations II committee.
On Wednesday, December 5, 2012, Trotter was charged with "attempt to board an aircraft with a weapon", which is normally a Class 4 felony, after Transportation Security Administration agents found a.25 caliber Beretta handgun and magazine loaded with six live rounds, which were in the outer pocket of a garment bag. The incident occurred at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, as Senator Trotter was attempting to board a flight to Washington, D.C. Trotter was held in police custody pending an appearance in bond court the following day, Thursday, December 6. On December 6, a Cook county judge set bond for Trotter at $25,000. Trotter was released after posting $2,500 bail. Trotter's next court appearance was scheduled for Wednesday, December 12, 2012. The Class 4 felony with which Trotter was charged normally carries a sentencing range of one to three years in prison if he is convicted of that charge, and under U.S. and Illinois laws, conviction of a felony normally prohibits someone, at least for a time, from holding public office. However, on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, Thomas Durkin, Trotter's attorney, stated that his client had entered a guilty plea, in a plea deal approved by the judge, to a misdemeanor count of reckless conduct. The misdemeanor plea allows him to keep his job without fear of impeachment or removal, and the conviction will be stricken if Senator Trotter completes a year of non-reporting court supervision.
