Rep. Chris Kelly will not seek re-election

Missouri State Rep. Chris Kelly will not seek re-election, he told ABC 17 News Thursday.

The Democratic Representative from Columbia said he would not run again to represent that 45th House District.

Kelly is currently serving his third term in the House and is eligible to run again in 2014, but he would have to move. In 2011 and 2012, the boundaries for Missouri’s 163 House districts and 34 Senate districts were adjusted to account for population shifts after the latest census.

He said he would move and stay in the House, but complained the Legislature is too focused on items like Sharia Law and Agenda 21, instead of improving infrastructure.

Before term limits were established, Kelly served six terms in the House of Representatives from 1982 to 1994. He was then elected back to the House in 2008.

He said he is encouraging Rep. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) to run for the state Senate seat in 2016. Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia) will be forced out by term limits.