BOISE (AP) — House Revenue and Taxation Committee Chairman Dennis Lake won't seek re-election, saying his eight-term, 16-year stint in the Idaho Legislature was longer than he'd planned to serve when he started in 1997.

    The 74-year-old Republican rancher from Blackfoot announced his retirement on Monday.

    With several aspirants for his House seat from his southeastern Idaho district, Lake said he wants to clear the way for newcomers.

He says a non-paying position in state government to continue his public service would be an option.

    Lake is a fiscal conservative who occasionally bucked his own party, including last year when he agreed to sponsor a bill to raise Idaho's cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack.

    He never scheduled a hearing, however, after deciding he didn't even have enough votes to introduce the measure.