DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A southwest Iowa lawmaker has stopped participating in the legislative session, saying he’s too busy working on his farm.
Sen. Hubert Houser, a Republican who has served 22 years in the House and Senate, hasn’t cast a vote on the Senate floor since March 4.
“I am more than ready to move on. Not only am I retiring from the Legislature and politics, I have no intention of trying to run for anything else,” Houser told The Des Moines Register (https://dmreg.co/1oGZSnQ).
Houser said he asked Republican leaders for a light load this session. They obliged, and Houser said he now doesn’t have much to do at the Legislature, other than vote on bills making it to the Senate floor.
Because Democrats are in the majority, Houser said his vote makes little difference.
Houser said he’s busy on his farm, where his family is building new livestock facilities.
“I need to be here with my farm business more,” he said. “The timing wasn’t the best, but you cannot always control that.”
Senate Minority Leader Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock, said he wasn’t sure how long Houser had been absent from the Senate, where Democrats hold a 26-24 seat majority. House has remained in regular contact with the Senate Republican caucus, Dix said.
Although legislators occasionally resign their position, such as last year when former Sen. Kent Sorenson quit amid ethics questions, officials said it’s highly unusual for lawmakers to simply stop showing up during a legislative session.
The Legislature is expected to adjourn later this month, though there is no specific deadline.
Houser said he’s ready to do something different.
“I am just an old man wanting to leave the place, quietly and peacefully, and get on with the rest of my life,” he said.
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, https://www.desmoinesregister.com
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