12-Term South Jersey Rep. Andrews Announces Resignation

HADDON HEIGHTS, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) - U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews has announced he's resigning from Congress after 23 years in office.

The 56-year-old is leaving the Capitol on Feb. 18.

He intends to join a law firm with offices in Washington. He says the job just opened and he "had to make a decision this weekend.''

The Democrat was first elected to Congress to represent a district which includes parts of Camden, Gloucester and Burlington Counties in 1990.

Andrews was an original author of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is sometimes called Obamacare.

He has also pushed the Army to source 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025, according to his website.

A congressional ethics committee has been looking into Andrews' campaign spending after reports that he was using campaign funds for trips to California, where his daughter had a fledgling singing and acting career. His departure will end that inquiry.

The seat will be open until the general election in November.

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