Near the end of his naval service Hines received the Commendation Medal in 1963 for bravely jumping out of a helicopter into the swamps south of New Iberia to rescue his fellow military men who needed medical attention following an aircraft crash.
[5] Hines won a special election on January 16, 1993, to succeed Senator John Saunders, who resigned after seventeen years in the office.
In its announcement of his induction, the Hall of Fame called his a "country doctor ... who became one of the Senate's most articulate spokesmen for the needs of the working class and poor people.
"[8] Hines chaired the task force that created the Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program.
[8] Term-limited in the Senate, Hines was succeeded by his fellow Democrat Eric LaFleur of Ville Platte in Evangeline Parish.