After nearly 20 years in the Texas House, state Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon of San Antonio says she won’t run for reelection next year.
McClendon’s retirement follows a battle with lung cancer and an operation last year to remove water on her brain.
Though she often had to use a wheelchair, McClendon remained active throughout the recent legislative session where she succeeded in a longtime goal- passing legislation that creates an innocence commission to will help prevent wrongful convictions.
McClendon currently holds some influential positions. She chairs the House Rules and Resolutions committee, and is a member of the appropriations and transportation committees.
The East Side Democrat says she will serve through the end of her term in December of 2016.