I’m State Representative Bill Hilty, beginning my eighth term in the Minnesota House of Representatives, where I have served since 1996.  My wife Laurie and I have five children and two grandchildren, all of whom live in Minnesota.Until recently we operated a small manufacturing business which provided good jobs in northern Pine County for many years.

I have brought to my work in the legislature a broad range of experience, which includes being raised on a forty-cow dairy farm, working in agricultural research, in union labor as a precision machinist and as a foundry worker, in education as a college instructor, and as a business owner with experience in both manufacturing and retailing.  I have been involved in the hands-on management of every aspect of our business, from personnel and purchasing, to sales, engineering, and financial management.  I hold BS and MA degrees from Purdue University, and have done extensive graduate work at the University of Minnesota, where I taught for six years.  I have served on the Finlayson School Board and the Pine County Special Education Co-operative Board.  I have served as Chair of the House Energy Policy and Finance Committee, Co-chair of the Legislative  Energy Commission, and as a member of the State’s Next Generation Energy Board. I have represented Minnesota on the Council of State Governments’ Energy Committee and the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Technology and Communications Committee and I am a member of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators.

I first decided to run for the legislature because I had deep concerns for our state and our nation. I didn't like the "I've got mine" attitude that caused many to ignore the idea of the common good upon which our country was founded. I didn't like the increasing power of "big money," or the increasingly divisive influence of "hot button," single-issue advocacy groups distracting us from the real issues and concerns we have in common. I believed then, as I do now more than ever, that we must apply sound critical analysis to today's complex problems, carefully separating opinion and emotional rhetoric from fact, to achieve lasting, long-term solutions which treat everyone fairly and honestly.  

Today we are faced with very serious problems in every area of public policy, from the current economic crisis, to health care, to unemployment and job security, to our public schools and colleges. We have an unfair tax system and transportation policies that should have been left in the last century. The problems with energy, water, and climate change are not about to go away, and a head-in-the sand approach is not helpful. 

I have worked hard to earn the respect and the trust of members in both parties, and I have a proven record of working with all members to come to agreement on important issues. As Chair of the House Energy Policy and Finance Division I was instrumental in securing passage of the nation-leading Renewable Energy Standard. As chief author of the Next Generation Energy Act, I worked with members on both sides of the aisle and with the Governor to pass another nation-leading bill with overwhelming bi-partisan support. As a legislative leader on elections issues I worked to assure that Minnesota elections would have a voter-verifiable paper trail and a post-election audit, another nation-leading initiative. In the past session I again worked with members of both parties to pass, with almost unanimous support, election reform measures that in other states have been highly controversial. I am grateful for your support which will make it possible to continue working for you and for our state.

State Representative Bill Hilty has served in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 1996. He is a recognized leader on energy issues and has been privileged to chair the House Energy Policy and Finance Division. His other committees have included:
      Finance
      State and Local Government Operations, Reform, Technology and Elections
      Bioscience and Workforce Development Oversight
      Local Government        
      Ways and Means ·         
      State Government Finance ·        
      Labor-Management Relations ·         
      Commerce ·         
      Government Operations and Veteran’s Affairs ·        
      Judiciary Policy and Finance ·         
      Civil Law and Elections ·         
      Telecommunications  Regulation and Infrastructure