State Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Lake Dallas, looks at the voting board after she was named an HB1 House conferee on May 6, 2011.
State Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Lake Dallas, looks at the voting board after she was named an HB1 House conferee on May 6, 2011. Bob Daemmrich

State Rep. Myra Crownover will not seek re-election in 2016, the Denton Republican announced Monday.

Crownover, who has served in the House since 2000, said she has “decided it is time for the next chapter in my life.” She chaired the House Committee on Public Health during the most recent session.

“Serving as chair has been an eye-opening experience, and I look forward to continuing the work we began this session through the interim,” Crownover said in a news release. “My focus now turns to the critical public health issues facing our state, including medical fraud and the increasing cost of health care.”

Crownover’s departure leaves a seat open in House District 64, a safely Republican area that covers a swath of North Texas centered on Denton.

Read King, a fellow Republican, had already announced that he plans to run in 2016, with or without Crownover in the race.

 Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.

Patrick Svitek was the primary political correspondent for The Texas Tribune. Patrick covered elections, state leaders, the Legislature and political trends across the state from 2015 until 2024. He previously...