JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The leader of one of the most important committees in the Mississippi House of Representatives is retiring.
House Education Chairman John Moore, a Brandon Republican, announced Friday that he will step down effective Sunday. Moore says he decided to retire following heart bypass surgery that caused him to miss part of the 2017 legislative session.
Gov. Phil Bryant will set a special election to replace Moore, which means his Rankin County district could go unrepresented for a significant fraction of the upcoming legislative session, beginning Jan. 2.
It also opens the question of whom House Speaker Philip Gunn will appoint to lead the Education Committee, which has been a forum for major legislation since Republicans took control of the Legislature in 2011.
Moore has served in the House since 1996.
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