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 after the legislative session by Gov. Robert Ehrlich. The bill was sponsored by Del. Herman Taylor. Rather than overriding Ehrlich's veto, House and Senate leaders instead decided to pursue a bill with a much larger impact on low-income workers by raising the state minimum wage, 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 for 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. 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 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.