Pete Stark speaks during a news conference to call for an end to the Afghanistan War, March 9, 2011. Photo: Bill Clark/Roll Call
Former Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) has died, his family confirmed in a statement Saturday. He was 88.
Why it matters: Per AP, during his 40-year congressional career, Stark, who died Friday, helped draft the Affordable Care Act. He played a major role in the 1986 Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA, which "allows people to stay on their employers’ insurance after leaving a job," the Washington Post notes.