About Marcus

Marcus C. Evans, Jr., serves as the State Representative of the 33rd District of Illinois, which includes the South Side of Chicago and South Suburban Cook County. At the state capitol within the House of Representatives, Marcus is known to be a strong, collaborative, and consensus building leader. Under the leadership of Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, he currently serves as both Assistant Majority Leader and Chairman of the Labor & Commerce Committee.

Over his years of service, Marcus has passed many impactful legislative measures in a variety of categories including: Energy Reliability, Labor Rights and Policy, Transportation, Health Care Funding & Availability, and Housing Stabilization & Development. As the Chairman of the Labor Committee, Marcus works with his colleagues and various interest groups on all legislative actions that impact working-class citizens and our economy. In addition, he serves as a member of the Revenue & Finance Committee and the Appropriations Human Services Committee. Marcus strongly believes in the proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars, thus he also serves on the bi-cameral Legislative Audit Commission (LAC).

Beyond the state capitol, Marcus enjoys connecting with policymakers across the country and around the world. In 2023, he was elected Vice President of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) placing him on the automatic track to become President-Elect in August 2024 and eventually President in August 2025. Marcus is also a member of The National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) and The Council of State Governments (CSG). 

Before being appointed and subsequently elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, Marcus worked for the Chicago City Council as Assistant to the Alderperson of the 8th Ward. Marcus is a lifelong resident of the South Side of Chicago, a Chicago Public Schools graduate (Morgan Park High School, c/o '03), and understands the challenges that many of our urban youth face. In July of 2006, Marcus faced the challenge of his life when he was diagnosed with cancer, followed by immediate major surgery and chemotherapy. He uses his life experiences to fuel his strong passion to help improve the lives of others. Marcus currently serves on the University of Illinois Cancer Center Community Advisory Board, Illinois Cancer Health Equity Research Center (I-CHER) Community Advisory Board as well as University of Chicago’s Office of Community Engagement and Cancer Health Equity’s Policy Work Group.

Marcus received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University. He is the proud father of one son Marcus, III. Outside of public service, Marcus works as a licensed real estate appraiser and an Illinois High School Association licensed basketball official.