POLITICAL FIGURES: “Rep. Gregg Harper, a Mississippi Republican and chairman of the House Administration Committee, will retire at the end of the year and won’t seek a sixth term. He is the 27th House Republican to announce his retirement during this Congress.
Mr. Harper, 61, cited a desire to leave Congress to be with his family, including an adult son who has special needs and his daughter who is expecting her first child…
In November, Mr. Harper was tapped by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) to conduct a comprehensive review of sexual-harassment policies in the House, after it was revealed that members had used taxpayer funds to settle harassment claims against them. Mr. Harper said in an interview last month that he plans to release this month legislation revising the chamber’s policies on the issue.
Mr. Harper is the sixth committee chair to announce a retirement at the end of this Congress. Rep. Bill Shuster (R., Pa.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee, announced Tuesday that he wouldn’t run for re-election. Other term-limited committee chairmen leaving at the end of this year are Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee; Jeb Hensarling (R., Texas), chairman of the Financial Services Committee, and Lamar Smith (R., Texas), chairman of the House panel on science, space and technology. House Budget Chair Diane Black (R., Tenn.) is also leaving to run for governor.”
-Natalie Andrews, “GOP Congressman Gregg Harper to Retire,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 4, 2018 04:09pm