Robbins won't run again
HARRISBURG — After 32 years in the state Legislature, Sen. Bob Robbins, R-50th, will retire.
Robbins, 69, of Salem Township, Mercer County, announced Monday that he would not seek another term.
“It has truly been an honor and pleasure to represent the great people of our area as a member of the House and Senate. While the decision to retire has been a difficult one, I now look forward to spending more time with my family and friends as I move into the next phase of my life,” Robbins said in a statement.
In Butler County, the district covers Lancaster and Worth townships. It also covers all of Crawford and Mercer counties and parts of eastern Lawrence County.
First elected to the House of Representatives in 1982, Robbins represented the 17th House District for eight years until his election to the 50th Senatorial District in 1990 following the retirement of state Sen. Roy Wilt.
While he was in the state Senate, the 50th District was the site of several firsts.
It saw the first location of the state's Land Recycling Program, which was known as “Brownfields Legislation,” and returned shuttered industrial sites to productive properties. The district was also the site of the first charter school and the first Keystone Opportunity Zone, an economic development program.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a decorated combat veteran with two tours of duty in Vietnam and the last combat veteran serving in the Senate, Robbins made veterans issues a priority during his career.
As chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, he was instrumental in establishing the National Guard's Educational Assistance Program and securing its dedicated funding.
Robbins held the positions of majority policy chairman from 1997 to 2000 and majority caucus secretary from 2001 to present.
Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati said Robbins has been a great public servant and an “integral” member of the Senate Republican caucus.
“Senator Robbins' presence in Harrisburg will be missed and I wish him the best in the next chapter of his life,” Scarnati said in a statement.
Robbins is not the only state politician covering the county to retire.
State Rep. Dick Stevenson, R-8th, of Grove City, said in December that he would not run again. Grove City Republican Tedd Nesbit announced last week that he would run for that seat.
Additionally, Robbins joins four other state senators who are retiring.
Republicans Mike Waugh of York County, Mike Brubaker of Lancaster County and Ted Erickson of Delaware County, as well as Democrat Jim Ferlo of Allegheny County all have announced that they will not seek new terms.
There are 50 senators.
