Dave Hunt

Helped businesses and homes become energy efficient, passed Ballot Measure 49 to bring greater balance to land use laws, modernized Oregon’s Bottle Bill, enacted new renewable energy and low carbon fuel standards to improve air quality, invested in wave energy, and increased protections for Oregon fish and sportfishermen by cracking down on California sea lions.

Served on the first Oregon Veterans Committee in 50 years, funded new Veterans Service Officers across Oregon to double local services, passed a renter’s tax credit for low-income veterans and returning soldiers and a property tax exemption for disabled vets, expanded educational opportunities for vets, created a second Veterans Home, increased transportation services, created an emergency fund for military families, and enabled service members to more easily vote in elections even when stationed in a war zone.

Expanded farmer’s market vouchers for low-income families and seniors, provided more school breakfasts and lunches, more summer meals for hungry kids, and Oregon Project Independence for seniors at home.

Created Oregon’s first Rainy Day Fund to protect services during recessions as well as a pro-active review of tax breaks each biennium. Reformed campaign finance laws to increase transparency, ethics laws, and the "double majority" election requirement to enable local voters to fairly pass local measures.

In 2015, Hunt was elected to the board of Clackamas Community College.

Hunt chose to not run for re-election to the House in 2012 and was replaced by fellow Democrat Brent Barton.

He chaired the House Transportation and Economic Development Committee as well as the House Rules Committee and served on the House Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Trade and Economic Development, Head Start, Campaign Finance Reform, and Elections, Ethics and Rules committees. His support and advocacy in animal-related measures saw him labeled as a 2011 "Top Dog" by the Oregon Humane Society.

Passed the historic 2009 Jobs and Transportation Act (the largest jobs bill in Oregon history), funded the long-awaited Sunrise Highway Corridor in Clackamas County and the Highway 213 Jughandle project in Oregon City, created ConnectOregon to improve air, rail, and marine infrastructure, required the removal of unsafe school buses, and re-opened the Government Camp Rest Area on Highway 26.

Enacted Healthy Kids Act in 2009 to provide health insurance to 90,000 uninsured children and 30,000 low-income adults, a prescription drug bulk purchasing pool for seniors, the Oregon Health Insurance Exchange to reduce costs for small businesses and consumers, mental health parity to ensure mental health care is covered by insurance companies, and a law strengthening organ donor rights.

In November 2008, Hunt was re-elected to a fourth term in the Oregon House and was subsequently elected to the position of Speaker of the Oregon House for the 2009–2011 legislative session. In November 2010, Hunt was re-elected to a fifth term in the Oregon House and was subsequently elected as House Democratic Leader.

By profession, Hunt served from 2001-13 as Executive Director of the Columbia River Channel Coalition and the Association of Pacific Ports. In 2013, he was named President and CEO of the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition, an association of over 200 defense and security businesses across the Northwest.

In 1999, Hunt was elected to the Oregon City School Board, and served there until 2003. He also served a two-year term (2002–03) as the youngest-ever National President of American Baptist Churches USA, an organization with over 5,000 churches and 1.3 million members. He also previously served on the Clackamas County Committee for Citizen Involvement.

Hunt married Tonia in 1992 and they have two children: Andrew (born in 1995) and Emily (born in 1999).

Dave Hunt (born November 10, 1967) is an American politician in the state of Oregon. A Democrat, he was the Oregon House Speaker and served as State Representative for District 40 of the Oregon House of Representatives representing Clackamas County from 2003 to 2013. He was elected House Majority Leader for the 2007–2009 session, succeeding Minority Leader Jeff Merkley, who was chosen as Speaker. Hunt served as Speaker during the 2009–2011 session, again succeeding Merkley, who was elected to serve in the United States Senate. After his service in the House, Hunt served as President & CEO of the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition (PNDC) for five years. He currently serves as Senior Vice President for Strategies 360 and as an elected member of the Clackamas Community College Board.

Dave Hunt was born in Port Angeles, Washington to Karin and Harley Hunt on November 10, 1967. He attended Sheldon High School in Eugene, Oregon and New York City's Columbia University where he majored in political science.

Passed anti-discrimination law to protect LGBT Oregonians and domestic partnerships. Authored the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act to allow greater religious freedom in Oregon workplaces and repealed a 1923 KKK-inspired law that disallowed teachers from wearing religious garb in the classroom.