Petri won’t seek re-election

Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) announced at a town meeting held in Wisconsin on Monday that he would not seek re-election after spending 35 years in the House of Representatives.

“I’d like to express my sincere thanks to my fellow citizens for entrusting me with the responsibility of representing them for the last 35 years,” Petri said. “It has been a great honor.”

Petri has been a leader in transportation and education issues since he was first elected to serve Wisconsin’s sixth congressional district in 1979.

Petri authored three of the last four major surface transportation laws. He also pushed to get the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, which eliminated the national 55-mile per hour speed limit, and the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995, which eliminated the ICC, signed into law.

Petri advocated for fiscally-responsible education reforms. The congressman worked to overhaul the federal student loan program, a move that saved taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.

Petri also recently introduced legislation that would simplify how students repay loans. It would establish a system in which loan payments are based on an affordable percentage of the student’s income after graduation.

“Best wishes to whoever is elected to represent us in the next Congress,” Petri said. “He or she will have the opportunity to turn the great prospects before our country into concrete reality.”