Longtime state lawmaker Pat Garofalo to retire after 2024

Another longtime state lawmaker has announced that this will be his final year in the legislature.

Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, was first elected in 2004 and is in the midst of his 10th term in the Minnesota House of Representatives. However, he announced Tuesday that he doesn’t plan to seek reelection this fall.

Garofalo currently serves as the Republican lead on the House Ways and Means Committee and has previously served as chair of the House Education Finance Committee and the Job Growth and Energy Affordability Policy and Finance Committee. He’s also been one of the main supporters of legalizing sports betting in the state, something that has gained momentum in recent years but still fell short of the necessary support last year.

“I am grateful for the trust and responsibility that the citizens of Farmington and the surrounding areas have placed in me since 2004,” Garofalo said in a prepared statement. “It has been my honor to serve them, their families, and our community. However, after 20 years of public service, it is time for me to step aside and find other ways to engage in policymaking in Minnesota.”

He’s the latest to join a growing list of lawmakers who’ve announced their intended departures after this year.

It’s not unusual for lawmakers to announce such decisions in election years. However, it does put more focus on some races heading into the fall.

The new legislative session is slated to start on Feb. 12.

Garofalo’s announcement comes on the same day another state lawmaker announced plans to retire.