After 10 years, U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) is not seeking re-election, but the House Administration Committee chairman says he will continue his commitment to transparency and accountability until his last day on Capitol Hill.

“I will work hard in a bipartisan manner over the remainder of my term to be a problem solver,” Harper said in a statement on Thursday.

He said he has decided to “trust God to lead us in the right direction — whatever that is.”

“I have no plans yet for the next year,” Harper, 61, told The Meridian Star on Friday. “We have no set plans. It’s just that I never intended for this to be a career or to stay for life.

“Ten years is a nice time for length of service, and I believe … as a citizen legislator that it’s time for another conservative to step up and take that role.”

Harper joins 26 other House Republicans who will not seek re-election in 2018, along with 14 Democrats.

Harper began serving Mississippi’s 3rd District in January 2009.

Early in his career, he began an intern program on Capitol Hill for students from George Mason University with intellectual disabilities.

“We started with a little pilot program. It worked great,” Harper said of the nine-year program, which was utilized by more than 150 House and Senate offices from both sides of the aisle.

After becoming chairman of the House Administration Committee, Harper even hired a George Mason graduate who was part of the program.

“It’s been an incredible thing to see these students … come in and learn some work skills and gain a lot of confidence, and it’s changed the hearts of a lot of Capitol Hill staffers who have maybe never been around a young person with intellectual disabilities.”

Harper said the inspiration for the program came from his oldest son, Livingston, who has Fragile X syndrome — a genetic condition that causes developmental and intellectual delays.

“That intern program will continue long after I’m gone from Congress, and it’s been really important to us,” Harper said.

Harper was also the sponsor of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, named after 10-year-old Gabriella Miller who succumbed to brain cancer.

The law eliminated taxpayer contributions to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund — $125 million over 10 years — and redirected it to pediatric research initiatives at the National Institutes of Health.

“We redirected money to something we should be doing instead of something we should not be doing,” Harper said.

This year, as a result of the House Administration Committee’s hearing about sexual misconduct involving members in Congress, anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training is now required for all members and their staffs.

“It’s been the greatest honor of my life, and we’ve got the best district in the state and the best state in the union — so what a great group of folks we represent,” Harper said. “… I will miss our staff, who is without question, I think, the best staff in Washington D.C., and I’ll miss our staff on the committee of House Administration, and I’ll certainly miss the members that I’ve grown very close to over the years.”

Guest seeks seat

On Friday afternoon, Michael Guest, district attorney for Rankin and Madison Counties, filed to run for Harper’s seat.

Guest, 47, said he expects “several other quality candidates” to also throw their hats in the ring.

“What I’m hoping to do is transition my time in the courtroom fighting for victims of crime into the halls of Congress and fight for Mississippi’s interest in Washington D.C.,” Guest said.

Lauderdale County Republican Party Chairman Tyler Norman called the state’s third district one of the most conservative in Mississippi.

Norman said he must remain neutral until after the primary.

“I think were going to have many very qualified candidates declare for Congressman Harper’s seat — there will be some big shoes to fill,” Norman said.

The qualifying deadline is March 1. Party primaries are June 5, and the general election is Nov. 6.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.