Southern Indiana state senator decided not to run for reelection

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A longtime southern Indiana political leader will soon walk away from his post.

Republican State Sen. Ron Grooms of Jeffersonville will not run for reelection when his term ends next year.

Grooms has served in the Senate since 2010 and has worked on school choice, right-to-work and Ohio River Bridges legislation. But he said he is most proud of cracking down on so-called "pill mills" for over-prescribing pain killers.

"We closed down over 50 clinics in the state of Indiana," he said. "We projected that we probably saved 1,000 lives by doing that. That is still being enforced. That bill is still being referenced as the pill mill bill and is being being used to guide the policy and legislation affecting opioid addiction and over-consumption and abuse."

The 77-year-old Grooms said it's time to pass the baton to younger leaders. He endorsed Greenville Republican Kevin Boehnlein to succeed him.