Kam Buckner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kam Buckner
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Buckner in 2022
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| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 26th district |
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| Assumed office January 18, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Christian Mitchell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kambium Elijah Buckner
May 12, 1985 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA) DePaul University (JD) |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
| College football career | |
| No. 59 | |
| Position | Offensive tackle Defensive line |
| Class | 2007 |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 280 lb (127 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College | Illinois Fighting Illini (2003–2007) |
| High school | Morgan Park (Chicago, Illinois) |
Kambium Elijah "Kam" Buckner (born May 12, 1985) is an American politician and lawyer. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He serves in the Illinois House of Representatives for the 26th district. This district is located in Chicago and includes areas like Bronzeville and Hyde Park.
Kam Buckner used to lead the Illinois House Black Caucus. Now, he is an Assistant Majority Leader for the House Democratic Caucus. Before becoming a politician, he played football for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team. He played as an offensive tackle and defensive lineman. In 2023, he ran for mayor of Chicago but did not win.
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Early Life and Education
Kam Buckner grew up on the South Side of Chicago. He went to Morgan Park High School. He then studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. While there, he played football for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team. Some of his teammates later played in the NFL.
After college, Buckner earned a law degree from the DePaul University College of Law. He also became a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
Starting His Career
Kam Buckner began his career helping important leaders. He worked for Mayor Mitch Landrieu in New Orleans. He also worked for Senator Dick Durbin in Washington D.C.. Later, he worked for the Chicago Cubs baseball team, helping with community relations.
In 2015, he became the Executive Director of World Sport Chicago. This is a non-profit group that grew from Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. In 2017, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees for Chicago State University. Buckner has also taught at the University of Chicago. He has written articles for newspapers like The Hill.
Serving in the Illinois House of Representatives (2019-Present)
On January 18, 2019, Kam Buckner was chosen to join the Illinois House of Representatives. He took over from Christian Mitchell. Mitchell left to work for Governor J.B. Pritzker. In 2020, Buckner was re-elected without anyone running against him.
In December 2020, he was chosen to be the chairman of the Illinois House Black Caucus. In 2022, he became an Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois House of Representatives. This means he helps lead the Democratic Party in the House.
During 2021 and 2022, Buckner helped pass important laws. These included the SAFE-T Act. He also supported a law to make the Chicago Board of Education an elected school board. He has worked on laws about clean energy and "ghost guns." He also supported laws allowing college athletes to be paid for using their name and image. In 2024, he proposed a law to allow more types of housing in certain cities.
What Committees Does He Serve On?
As of July 2022, Representative Buckner is a member of several important committees in the Illinois House:
- Executive Committee (HEXC)
- Higher Education Committee (HHED)
- Judiciary - Civil Committee (JHUA)
- Judiciary - Criminal Committee (HJUC)
- Commercial & Property Subcommittee (HJUA-COMM)
- Tourism Committee (SHTO)
Running for Chicago Mayor in 2023
On May 12, 2022, Kam Buckner announced he would run for mayor of Chicago. He wanted to become the mayor in the 2023 election. His campaign focused on important issues for the city. These included public safety, education, and fair economic growth.
In the first round of the election, Buckner placed seventh out of nine candidates. He received about 1.96% of the votes. After he lost, he supported Brandon Johnson in the next round of the election. In September 2023, a video from Buckner's mayoral campaign was nominated for an Emmy award. The video was called "Son of Chicago."
His Political Views
Education
Kam Buckner strongly believes in fair funding for public schools. He wants all schools in Illinois to get the money they need. He wrote a bill, HB 3917, to help Chicago Public Schools get proper funding. This bill would make sure money for low-income students and special education goes to every school that needs it.
He also supports Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. He wants to see more STEM programs in neighborhoods with lower incomes. He also helped create an elected school board in Chicago.
Protecting Consumers
Buckner is the main sponsor of House Bill 3920. This bill would make it illegal for banks to send unwanted, high-interest loan checks to people. This law aims to protect people from unfair loan practices.
Civil Rights
In October 2019, Buckner proposed HB 3925. This bill would stop police from doing background checks on people who speak at public meetings. He believes this protects people's privacy and right to speak freely.
He also supported Senate Bill 1599. This law makes it illegal for companies that publish criminal records for money to refuse to fix mistakes. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed this into law in 2019.
Buckner has spoken out against red light and speed cameras. He believes they are unfair and can violate people's privacy. He also thinks these cameras are often placed in minority and low-income areas. He introduced House Bill 3927 to make these camera systems illegal.
He also introduced House Bill 3584 in 2019. This law keeps victim impact statements confidential for Parole Boards. It prevents this information from being shared with inmates or others. This protects victims' privacy.
Gun Control
Buckner is a strong supporter of strict gun control laws. He has shared his own experiences with gun violence from a young age. He believes that mental health, quality of life, education, and economic development are all important. These factors should be part of any plan to stop gun violence.
Environment
In 2019, the Illinois Environmental Council gave Buckner a 100% rating. This shows his strong support for environmental protection.
Personal Life
Kam Buckner comes from a family with a love for music. His father was the lead singer in a soul group in the 1970s. He is also a cousin of the famous singer and actress Jennifer Hudson. He is also related to the Staples Singers.
Buckner co-hosts a weekly podcast called "famILLy." It's about Fighting Illini football. He hosts it with former Illinois Quarterback Juice Williams. Kam Buckner is married to Bernardette Salgado-Buckner. They have a son together.
Images for kids
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Kam Buckner mayoral campaign logo
