Midstate congressman to retire after 19 years
Photo by AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burk
Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pa., accompanied by Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 25, 2014.
(Washington, D.C.) — A midstate congressman who was first elected to Congress in 1997 says he will not seek re-election next year.
Republican Joe Pitts, who represents parts of Lancaster and Berks counties, says he plans to work for human rights and religious freedom causes across the world when he leaves Congress.
Pitts’s legacy will likely include his role in ending the “doc fix“, which frequently required Congress to scramble to prevent cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates.
Recently, he was appointed to a special congressional committee investigating Planned Parenthood.
Lancaster County Commissioner Scott Martin has already said he would consider running for the seat if Pitts decided to retire.
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