Maurice A. West II is a proud graduate of Jefferson High School, class of 2003. After high school he went on to receive his Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Sociology from Illinois College in Jacksonville, IL, and Master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.  After completing his education, he came back to Rockford and began working at Rock Valley College (RVC) as a Career Counselor for the Dislocated Workers Program. For three and a half years he assisted people within the community who were laid-off from their jobs to find new work and/or be retrained to become more marketable in the workforce. While at Rock Valley, he received the Booker Washington Community Center’s 25 Black Leaders to Watch Young Leader on the Rise Award in 2012.

Maurice is heavily involved in his community. He is an ordained minister and an active member of his church. He's the founder of the Share the Warmth - Rockford, which provides warm articles of clothing for the homeless each year. In 2024, the Council of State Governments, the nation's only nonpartisan organization serving all three branches of state elected and appointed officials, recognized Rep. West as one of the 20 Under 40 Leadership Award for his hard work and dedication to public service and advocacy for his community. 

Maurice is currently serving his fourth term as State Representative. He is a member of Speaker Chris Welch's leadership team serving as Assistant Majority Leader in the 104th General Assembly. His current committee assignments are Ethics & Elections (Chair), Restorative Justice & Public Safety (Vice-Chair), Executive, Appropriations: Personnel and Pensions, Housing, Mental Health & Addiction, and Cities & Villages.

In 2021, Rep. West was appointed to the Legislative Ethics Commission by Speaker Welch.  The LEC is a bipartisan board comprised of eight commissioners. From July 2022 to June 2024, Maurice served as Chair of the LEC.

During his four terms in office, Rep. West contributed to efforts that helped move Illinois forward.  He is particularly proud of his work to enhance worker skills and close the skills gap in the Rockford community by  bringing over $4 million for training and youth employment.  He also committed himself to being a strong advocate for mental health and restorative justice.

Maurice an award-winning music composer and founder of Music with Pleasure. He is married to Leslie and has a daughter, Brein McKenzie.

My mission is to serve as an elected official solely directed by a manifesto that I adopted early in my career. This manifesto is my personal political values. These values are built by my life experiences and beliefs - especially my call to preach the Gospel.  This manifesto serves as my playbook to abide by, thus, every move I make, every vote I take, is not for the party. I make the move or take the vote because it aligns with these 12-points.

The WEST Political Manifesto of Today

1. Reduce the gap between rich people and poor people.

2. Help everyone to have a job.

3. Help the poorest, including introducing a living wage.

4. Offer the best possible education.

5. Help everyone to feel they can make a difference. 

6. Promote tolerance.

7. Promote equal treatment for Women.

8. Create a society based on values and not profits and consumerism.

9. End all forms of slavery.

10. Avoid getting into wars.

11. Avoid narrow self-interest and promote a world view.

12. Care for the environment.