Tom Hucker
Encyclopedia
Tom Hucker is an American
elected official and a Democrat
from the U.S. state
of Maryland
. He is currently serving as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from District 20, which includes Takoma Park
and Silver Spring
neighborhoods including Hillandale
, Woodmoor
, White Oak
, Indian Spring, East Silver Spring, Park Hills, Long Branch, Seven Oaks/Evanswood, Sligo/Branview, Burnt Mills, Burnt Mills Hills, and parts of Colesville
in Montgomery County
.
, Hucker graduated from St. Louis University High School. He was offered a Gasson Scholarship to Boston College
, where he graduated with honors in 1988, majoring in biology, English, and philosophy. At Boston College, he was a student activist prominent in efforts to end apartheid and protect the environment. He was twice elected to the Senate of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College, and was elected President of the Boston College MASSPIRG chapter and Treasurer of the statewide MASSPIRG Board of Directors. For his senior thesis, he directed a statewide student lobbying effort to pass legislation strengthening Massachusetts' testing standards for drinking water.
After graduation, Hucker continued his career as a public interest advocate by moving to Washington, D.C.
to work for the Fund for Public Interest Research. There, he ran field campaigns for the United States Public Interest Research Group and the Sierra Club
to reauthorize the federal Clean Air Act
, the Safe Drinking Water Act
, the Endangered Species Act
, and other federal legislation. As a Regional Campaign Director, he supervised offices in the southern United States and later others along the east coast.
, an advocacy group, in 2001. The group brought together thousands of individual members in partnership with dozens of the state's largest community, labor, civil rights, and faith-based organizations into a single organization to improve the lives of working families in Maryland. The group combined door-to-door organizing, grassroots leadership development, policy research, and face-to-face advocacy with lawmakers.
In that role, he authored and led a successful campaign to pass the Montgomery County living wage
law in 2001, and the Prince George's County living wage law in 2002. Both laws require most county contractors to pay their workers enough to feed their families without food stamps—over 130% of the federal poverty level.
As an advocate in Annapolis
, he then authored and led efforts to pass the nation's first statewide living wage bill in 2004, which was vetoed by Gov. Robert Ehrlich
. The bill was sponsored by Del. Herman Taylor
. The bill would have lifted thousands of workers out of poverty by requiring the same standard as the Montgomery and Prince George's bills.
Rather than overriding the vetoed bill in 2005, House and Senate leaders instead agreed to help a larger number of low-income workers by raising the state minimum wage
by $1, the first time Maryland had passed a minimum wage higher than the federal standard. The increase was estimated to produce a pay raise for 129,000 Maryland workers.
As director of Progressive Maryland, Hucker was recognized with the Friends of Latinos award by the Hispanic Democratic Club of Montgomery County, the Defenders of Justice award from the Maryland Alliance for Justice, and their Public Service award by the League of Korean Americans of Maryland.
Hucker was elected to his first term in the House of Delegates in 2006, after a four-month grassroots campaign. He was endorsed by The Washington Post
, which wrote that Hucker "has proven most effective at getting good bills enacted" (September 10, 2006). Hucker was also endorsed by The Gazette
, the Montgomery County Education Association and the Montgomery Federation of Teachers, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters
, the National Organization of Women, the Maryland Nurses Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, Equality Maryland
, the Montgomery County Career Fire Fighters Association/IAFF L. 1664, the Hispanic Democratic Club, the Coalition of Asian Pacific American Democrats (CAPAD-MD), the Alliance of Retired Americans, the Hispanic Democratic Club of Montgomery County, the Progressive Democrats of America, the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO, and over 25 other organizations.
In 2010, House Speaker Michael E. Busch
appointed Hucker the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Federal Relations, and Montgomery County Delegation Chair Brian Feldman appointed him to be the Chair of the Bi-County Affairs Committee, which regulates the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
.
In April 2009, he was appointed to serve on the Climate, Energy, and Environment Policy Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
.
In June 2009, the White House
appointed Hucker to a new organization, State Legislators for Health Care Reform to provide policy advice and organize support for the President's national health care reform efforts.
In his first General Assembly session, Hucker authored and was co-lead sponsor of the first statewide living wage law in the nation. The legislation received national media attention including this article in The New York Times. The law required most state contractors to pay their workers wages high enough to feed their families without needing food stamps—about 130% of the federal poverty level (HB 430).
In 2009, Hucker passed HB 184 to require the state to finalize a plan to offer universal pre-Kindergarten for all Maryland four-year olds, and HB 1263 to reduce mercury pollution by requiring auto manufacturers to pay to recycle mercury capsules in older American cars.
In 2010, Hucker built on HB 184 by passing HB 350 to require the Maryland State Department of Education to apply for federal Early Education Challenge Grant support to expand pre-kindergarten in Maryland. Also in 2010, he passed HB 1250 to significantly strengthen the state law against SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) suits to protect environmentalists and civic activists from frivolous lawsuits intended to harass and intimidate. He also successfully sponsored HB 1322 to fight human trafficking by requiring all hotels and motels that have been the site of prostitution or human trafficking to post a sign in every hotel room with information on human trafficking and the phone number of the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The bill was a priority of the Maryland State Police, the Montgomery County Police, and the Women Legislators of Maryland.
Hucker has also sponsored legislation to expand health care access, ban arsenic from chicken feed, provide mental health services for veterans, facilitate offshore wind turbines, and ban discrimination in housing.
Hucker was recognized as a 100% Environmental Voter by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters
and Environment Maryland.
He also received a 100% rating from Equality Maryland
, and has been a vocal advocate for marriage equality.
Hucker was also described as a "Champion of Working Families" by Progressive Maryland
and received the highest score in the Maryland General Assembly.
Hucker serves as the representative of the Maryland General Assembly on the Board of Directors of Purple Line Now!, an advocacy group organizing to protect the environment and expand transit options by building a light rail line from Bethesda through Silver Spring, past the University of Maryland-College Park, and on to New Carrollton, Maryland. The group led a successful organizing campaign that resulted in a decision by Gov. Martin O'Malley that the Purple Line would be a light rail line, following similar decisions by the state legislative delegations, County Executives, and County Councils in both Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.
Because of his years of successful advocacy inside and outside the General Assembly, Hucker now also serves on the Board of Directors of the Progressive States Network
, a national nonprofit that provides research and strategic advocacy tools to help state legislators to pass progressive policy reforms, including legislation to reward work, strengthen communities, and expand health care access.
Hucker endorsed Sen. Barack Obama
for President in 2007, months in advance of the Maryland Presidential Primary, and served on the Maryland for Obama Steering Committee.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
elected official and a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
from the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He is currently serving as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
from District 20, which includes Takoma Park
Takoma Park, Maryland
Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City," is a Tree City USA and a nuclear-free zone...
and Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
neighborhoods including Hillandale
Hillandale, Maryland
Hillandale is an unincorporated area located on the boundary between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, Hillandale's boundaries are not officially defined...
, Woodmoor
Woodmore, Maryland
Woodmore is an unincorporated area and Census-designated place composed of a gated community and country club in Mitchellville, Maryland, one of the most affluent predominantly African-American communities in the United States...
, White Oak
White Oak, Maryland
White Oak is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, White Oak's boundaries are not officially defined...
, Indian Spring, East Silver Spring, Park Hills, Long Branch, Seven Oaks/Evanswood, Sligo/Branview, Burnt Mills, Burnt Mills Hills, and parts of Colesville
Colesville, Maryland
Colesville is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland in the USA.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, Colesville's boundaries are not officially defined. Also, many residents consider the town to be one of the many neighborhoods of Silver Spring, Maryland...
in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
.
Background
Born in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Hucker graduated from St. Louis University High School. He was offered a Gasson Scholarship to Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, where he graduated with honors in 1988, majoring in biology, English, and philosophy. At Boston College, he was a student activist prominent in efforts to end apartheid and protect the environment. He was twice elected to the Senate of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College, and was elected President of the Boston College MASSPIRG chapter and Treasurer of the statewide MASSPIRG Board of Directors. For his senior thesis, he directed a statewide student lobbying effort to pass legislation strengthening Massachusetts' testing standards for drinking water.
After graduation, Hucker continued his career as a public interest advocate by moving to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to work for the Fund for Public Interest Research. There, he ran field campaigns for the United States Public Interest Research Group and the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
to reauthorize the federal Clean Air Act
Clean Air Act
A Clean Air Act is one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of airborne contaminants, smog and air pollution in general. The use by governments to enforce clean air standards has contributed to an improvement in human health and longer life spans...
, the Safe Drinking Water Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
The Safe Drinking Water Act is the principle federal law in the United States intended to ensure safe drinking water for the public. Pursuant to the act, the Environmental Protection Agency is required to set standards for drinking water quality and oversee all states, localities, and water...
, the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
, and other federal legislation. As a Regional Campaign Director, he supervised offices in the southern United States and later others along the east coast.
Career
Hucker came to prominence in Maryland politics when he founded Progressive MarylandProgressive Maryland
Founded in 2000, Progressive Maryland is one of the Maryland's largest grassroots advocacy organization, with more than 15,000 individual members and supporters as well as over 50 affiliated religious, community, and labor organizations...
, an advocacy group, in 2001. The group brought together thousands of individual members in partnership with dozens of the state's largest community, labor, civil rights, and faith-based organizations into a single organization to improve the lives of working families in Maryland. The group combined door-to-door organizing, grassroots leadership development, policy research, and face-to-face advocacy with lawmakers.
In that role, he authored and led a successful campaign to pass the Montgomery County living wage
Living wage
In public policy, a living wage is the minimum hourly income necessary for a worker to meet basic needs . These needs include shelter and other incidentals such as clothing and nutrition...
law in 2001, and the Prince George's County living wage law in 2002. Both laws require most county contractors to pay their workers enough to feed their families without food stamps—over 130% of the federal poverty level.
As an advocate in Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, he then authored and led efforts to pass the nation's first statewide living wage bill in 2004, which was vetoed by Gov. Robert Ehrlich
Robert Ehrlich
Robert Leroy "Bob" Ehrlich, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 60th Governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican, he became governor after defeating Democratic opponent Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the Kennedy family, 51% to 48% in the 2002 elections...
. The bill was sponsored by Del. Herman Taylor
Herman L. Taylor, Jr.
Herman L. Taylor, Jr. is an American politician who served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2003-2011 in Maryland's 14th Legislative District...
. The bill would have lifted thousands of workers out of poverty by requiring the same standard as the Montgomery and Prince George's bills.
Rather than overriding the vetoed bill in 2005, House and Senate leaders instead agreed to help a larger number of low-income workers by raising the state minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
by $1, the first time Maryland had passed a minimum wage higher than the federal standard. The increase was estimated to produce a pay raise for 129,000 Maryland workers.
As director of Progressive Maryland, Hucker was recognized with the Friends of Latinos award by the Hispanic Democratic Club of Montgomery County, the Defenders of Justice award from the Maryland Alliance for Justice, and their Public Service award by the League of Korean Americans of Maryland.
Hucker was elected to his first term in the House of Delegates in 2006, after a four-month grassroots campaign. He was endorsed by The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, which wrote that Hucker "has proven most effective at getting good bills enacted" (September 10, 2006). Hucker was also endorsed by The Gazette
The Gazette (Maryland)
The Gazette publishes weekly community newspapers serving Montgomery, Frederick, Prince George's and Carroll counties in Maryland, including a subscription-based weekend edition covering business and politics throughout the state. The group of papers consistently wins awards from the Suburban...
, the Montgomery County Education Association and the Montgomery Federation of Teachers, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters
League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters is a political advocacy organization founded in 1969 by American environmentalist David Brower in the early years of the environmental movement. LCV's mission is to "advocate for sound environmental policies and to elect pro-environmental candidates who will adopt...
, the National Organization of Women, the Maryland Nurses Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, Equality Maryland
Equality Maryland
Equality Maryland is a non-profit organization formerly headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, now based in Baltimore. Its activities focus on advocacy and education with regard to a number of LGBT social and political movements...
, the Montgomery County Career Fire Fighters Association/IAFF L. 1664, the Hispanic Democratic Club, the Coalition of Asian Pacific American Democrats (CAPAD-MD), the Alliance of Retired Americans, the Hispanic Democratic Club of Montgomery County, the Progressive Democrats of America, the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO, and over 25 other organizations.
State legislature
Hucker currently serves on the House Economic Matters Committee, and on its Consumer, Workers Compensation, and Insurance Subcommittees. He previously served on the Environmental Matters Committee, and on its Environment, Natural Resources, and Land Use and Ethics Subcommittees.In 2010, House Speaker Michael E. Busch
Michael E. Busch
Michael E. Busch is the current Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates in the United States. Busch has been a member of the House since 1987, and Speaker since January 2003...
appointed Hucker the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Federal Relations, and Montgomery County Delegation Chair Brian Feldman appointed him to be the Chair of the Bi-County Affairs Committee, which regulates the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission provides safe drinking water and wastewater treatment for Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland. It was established on May 1, 1918. It is the eighth largest water and wastewater utility in the United States. The WSSC serves about 1.8 million...
and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland.-History:...
.
In April 2009, he was appointed to serve on the Climate, Energy, and Environment Policy Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is a regional organization of Washington area local governments. MWCOG comprises 21 local governments in the Washington Metropolitan Area, as well as area members of the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House...
.
In June 2009, the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
appointed Hucker to a new organization, State Legislators for Health Care Reform to provide policy advice and organize support for the President's national health care reform efforts.
In his first General Assembly session, Hucker authored and was co-lead sponsor of the first statewide living wage law in the nation. The legislation received national media attention including this article in The New York Times. The law required most state contractors to pay their workers wages high enough to feed their families without needing food stamps—about 130% of the federal poverty level (HB 430).
In 2009, Hucker passed HB 184 to require the state to finalize a plan to offer universal pre-Kindergarten for all Maryland four-year olds, and HB 1263 to reduce mercury pollution by requiring auto manufacturers to pay to recycle mercury capsules in older American cars.
In 2010, Hucker built on HB 184 by passing HB 350 to require the Maryland State Department of Education to apply for federal Early Education Challenge Grant support to expand pre-kindergarten in Maryland. Also in 2010, he passed HB 1250 to significantly strengthen the state law against SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) suits to protect environmentalists and civic activists from frivolous lawsuits intended to harass and intimidate. He also successfully sponsored HB 1322 to fight human trafficking by requiring all hotels and motels that have been the site of prostitution or human trafficking to post a sign in every hotel room with information on human trafficking and the phone number of the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The bill was a priority of the Maryland State Police, the Montgomery County Police, and the Women Legislators of Maryland.
Hucker has also sponsored legislation to expand health care access, ban arsenic from chicken feed, provide mental health services for veterans, facilitate offshore wind turbines, and ban discrimination in housing.
Hucker was recognized as a 100% Environmental Voter by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters
League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters is a political advocacy organization founded in 1969 by American environmentalist David Brower in the early years of the environmental movement. LCV's mission is to "advocate for sound environmental policies and to elect pro-environmental candidates who will adopt...
and Environment Maryland.
He also received a 100% rating from Equality Maryland
Equality Maryland
Equality Maryland is a non-profit organization formerly headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, now based in Baltimore. Its activities focus on advocacy and education with regard to a number of LGBT social and political movements...
, and has been a vocal advocate for marriage equality.
Hucker was also described as a "Champion of Working Families" by Progressive Maryland
Progressive Maryland
Founded in 2000, Progressive Maryland is one of the Maryland's largest grassroots advocacy organization, with more than 15,000 individual members and supporters as well as over 50 affiliated religious, community, and labor organizations...
and received the highest score in the Maryland General Assembly.
Hucker serves as the representative of the Maryland General Assembly on the Board of Directors of Purple Line Now!, an advocacy group organizing to protect the environment and expand transit options by building a light rail line from Bethesda through Silver Spring, past the University of Maryland-College Park, and on to New Carrollton, Maryland. The group led a successful organizing campaign that resulted in a decision by Gov. Martin O'Malley that the Purple Line would be a light rail line, following similar decisions by the state legislative delegations, County Executives, and County Councils in both Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.
Because of his years of successful advocacy inside and outside the General Assembly, Hucker now also serves on the Board of Directors of the Progressive States Network
Progressive States Network
The Progressive States Network is a grass-roots political organization in the United States that aims to transform the political landscape by sparking progressive actions at the state level...
, a national nonprofit that provides research and strategic advocacy tools to help state legislators to pass progressive policy reforms, including legislation to reward work, strengthen communities, and expand health care access.
Hucker endorsed Sen. Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for President in 2007, months in advance of the Maryland Presidential Primary, and served on the Maryland for Obama Steering Committee.