Henry Waxman (via Flickr)

Waxman was instrumental in the passage of the Affordable Care Act in addition to other legislation that included: laws to make infant formula safer and more nutritious (1980); bring low-priced generic drugs to market (1984); clean the air (1990); provide services and medical care to people with AIDS (1996); and reform and modernize the Postal Service (2006). A highly regarded staff on Capitol Hill, Waxman led investigations into the tobacco-industry marketing practices, the use of steroids in professional sports, the 2008 collapse of Wall Street and the flawed intelligence that was used to justify the Iraq War.

“At the end of this year, I would have been in Congress for 40 years,” he said. “If there is a time for me to move on to another chapter in my life, I think this is the time to do it."

Read more at The Los Angeles Times.

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