WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, is retiring from Congress, two sources close to the congressman told The Texas Tribune on Thursday.

"For several reasons, this seems like a good time to pass on the privilege of representing the 21st District to someone else," he wrote in an email obtained by the Tribune. "At the end of this Congress, I will have completed my six-year term as chairman of the Science, Space and Technology Committee. I have one new grandchild and a second arriving soon! And I hope to find other ways to stay involved in politics."

"With over a year remaining in my term, there is still much to do," he added. "There is legislation to enact, dozens of hearings to hold and hundreds of votes to cast."

Smith has served in the U.S. House since 1987. Before that he was a Bexar County Commissioner and also served in the Texas House of Representatives.

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