AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon is resigning her Texas House seat effective this weekend.
The San Antonio Democrat was already not seeking re-election in Texas' March 1 primary, but submitted a resignation letter to Gov. Greg Abbott late Tuesday.
That means she will not finish a term that expires at the end of the year, even though the Legislature is not scheduled to reconvene until January 2017.
McClendon has served in the House since 1996. Health problems saw the 72-year-old use a motorized wheelchair throughout the 2015 legislative session.
In a statement Wednesday, Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said McClendon's "tenacity has made our state fairer and stronger."