State Rep. Howard Maxwell announced Thursday he's retiring from his Paulding County district in the Georgia General Assembly after 14 years.

Maxwell, a 68-year-old Republican, said he'll step down at the end of 2018 when his current two-year term ends. He's the chairman of the House Regulated Industries Committee, which oversees licensing of alcohol, tobacco, construction, cosmetology, funeral services and other industries.

“I’ve been blessed to serve my neighbors, my community and this state as a member of the House,” Maxwell, R-Dallas, said in a statement. “It has been the honor of a lifetime.”

Before being elected to the Georgia House of representatives in 2003, he served as chairman of the Paulding County School Board. He retired from his business, Howard Maxwell Insurance Agency in Cartersville, earlier this year.

“Howard Maxwell is as good a man as you can find,” said House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge. “While I’m sad to see him leave the General Assembly, he has certainly earned the pleasure of spending more time with his friends and family.”