In another pre-election legislative shakeup, Idaho’s highest-ranking senator will not seek re-election this year.
Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill will retire after 19 years in the Statehouse.
“Throughout my years of service, a primary goal has been to increase citizens’ trust and confidence in our government,” Hill, R-Rexburg, said in a news release Thursday. “In many ways, governments here and abroad have weakened the faith of those they govern, but I am proud of the many achievements my colleagues and I have accomplished over the past two decades.”
Hill is in his 10th Senate term; he and Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston, are the Senate’s senior members. He has served as president pro tem for more than a decade.
Hill is the second veteran East Idaho lawmaker to announce his retirement. Senate Education Committee Chairman Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, announced his plans in December. House Minority Leader Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, resigned in December to take a lobbying job with the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce.
