State Rep. John Wilson, D-Lawrence, stands with his wife, Jami Jones, on the House floor to announce his resignation from the 10th District House seat on June 26, 2017.

Topeka ? Democratic Rep. John Wilson, of Lawrence, announced Monday that he plans to resign his 10th District House seat later this year in order to spend more time focusing on his family and career.

“This is a decision I don’t make lightly,” Wilson said on the House floor Monday. “In fact, now is actually a really great time to be in the Legislature. It’s just not a really great time for me with where I am in my career and my family.”

State Rep. John Wilson, D-Lawrence, stands with his wife, Jami Jones, on the House floor to announce his resignation from the 10th District House seat on June 26, 2017.

Wilson, who is 33, works as a training and professional development manager for a nonprofit organization, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a group that works to battle childhood obesity.

He made the announcement during the ceremonial “sine die” session of the Legislature, which brought the 2017 session to a close. Other House Democrats said they were surprised by the announcement and were not told in advance that it was coming.

Standing with his wife, Jami Jones, he said legislative duties take too much time away from his job and family.

“I think there’s a reason why there aren’t a lot of 30-something lawmakers like me,” he said. “We’re starting our families and building our careers. And let’s be honest. How many employers are as generous as mine that allows me to work part-time for five or six months — or seven months, or whatever it’s going to be — out of every single year? There’s not many.”

Wilson said he would submit his formal letter of resignation to the secretary of state’s office later this year, possibly by August or September.

“I don’t have a specific date in mind,” he said. “I’m still trying to work out all the things that come with the transition — the transition of health insurance, those sorts of things.”

Once he does resign, that will create a vacancy in a reliably Democratic district. The 10th District includes a portion of Lawrence south of 19th Street and west of Iowa Street. It also stretches into southern and eastern Douglas County, including Baldwin City.

After his resignation becomes official, Democratic Party precinct committee members in that district will meet to elect a replacement.

Wilson was first elected to the seat in 2012 with 60 percent of the vote over Republican Erica Anderson. He was re-elected in 2014 with 63 percent of the vote and again in 2016, when he faced no opponent.