Saint Paul, Minnesota — State Representative Tom Huntley (DFL – Duluth) announced today that he will not be seeking re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives. Huntley is the chair of the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee and will be completing his 11th term in the Legislature.
“It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the people of Duluth and Minnesota at the State Capitol,” said Huntley. “I am humbled by this opportunity and the chance I have had to work on issues so vital to the health of our people and state.”
Virtually every significant piece of health care legislation passed in Minnesota over the past decade had Rep. Huntley’s fingerprints all over it. Huntley served as the House Health and Human Services Finance Chair from 2007-2010 and is the current chair. Huntley chief-authored the Freedom to Breathe Act in 2007. He also served as a co-chair of Governor Pawlenty’s health care reform task force and led efforts to pass nation-leading health care reform legislation in 2008. Huntley credits those reforms and their focus on chronic disease management as a key marker that has set Minnesota ahead of the pack.
“I am proud of the progress we have made to make Minnesota the health care leader that we are,” said Huntley. “We have been able to make health care more accessible and affordable to families and have set us on course to better address the coming health care challenges of the future.”
Huntley was an early supporter of the Affordable Care Act and took an active role nationally to organize state lawmakers who supported its passage. This year he chief-authored legislation to expand Medical Assistance in Minnesota which will bring $5.4 billion federal dollars into Minnesota over the next 4 years and provide coverage to over 159,000 Minnesotans.
“The practical impact of expanding MA for Minnesota is something we should all take great pride in as a state,” said Huntley. “We are able to cover more Minnesotans than ever before and do so at a savings to our state. In addition, we are bringing serious resources into our state to help grow and support our strong health care economy.”
Huntley said he is leaving the legislature to pursue continued service in health care. In particular, he is looking to focus attention on primary care and rural access issues.
“We have made a great deal of progress in passing legislation to improve our health care system, but there are significant challenges that remain, especially when it comes to implementing some of the reforms and laws we’ve passed,” said Huntley. “I feel the time is right for me to step aside at the state legislature and step into a new avenue of service where I can use my experience and knowledge to better implement health policy in Minnesota.”