Rep. John Kline not seeking re-election

Washington – Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, will not run for re-election next year.

Kline made the announcement in a Sept. 3 statement. The Education and the Workforce Committee oversees many occupational safety matters, and Kline has been its top Republican since 2009.

In the remaining 16 months of his chairmanship, Kline said he will work to improve workplaces, among other priorities.

“Strengthening our nation’s classrooms and workplaces has been at the forefront of the committee's agenda since I was first selected to serve as chairman, and it will continue to be my leading priority in the months ahead,” he said in the statement.

Kline, a former Marine Corps helicopter pilot, was first elected to Congress in 2002.