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For Immediate Release: Contact: Robert Reilly, Deputy Chief of Staff 

January 17, 2012 Cell: (717) 880-0650

Statement on Decision to Not Seek Re-Election in 2012

"For the past eleven years, I have been allowed the remarkable privilege of representing the people of

Pennsylvania's 19th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. There are no wordsto adequately capture my feelings of great humility, unwavering gratitude, and tremendous honor regarding the

trust placed in me by my fellow citizens. I have worked tirelessly to be worthy of this trust each and every dayof my service in Congress.

I truly love my job and continue to be passionate about giving back to our community and nation. Having

known that I wanted to serve in Congress since age fourteen, it is difficult to imagine serving in any othercapacity. However, I believe the time has come for me to do so.

I have long believed in the importance of term limits and have sponsored twelve-year term limit legislation each

term since first being elected to Congress. As such, I will not be seeking re-election to Congress and will leaveoffice at the end of this year - my twelfth year as Congressman for the 19th District.

On behalf of my wife Leslie and sons T.J. and Tom, I want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the tremendoussupport we have received from so many wonderful individuals. Our family could not have served and

represented the people of the 19th Congressional District effectively without the encouragement, good counseland selfless support of countless friends, family members, and fellow Central Pennsylvanians. We have been

greatly blessed by this support and will be forever grateful. I also want to highlight the dedication of myoutstanding district and Washington staff members - past and present - a superb group of individuals who

embody the highest ideals of public service.

Although I will not be seeking re-election to Congress, I certainly plan to continue working hard on behalf of

my constituents over the course of my remaining year in office. Whether it is pushing broad legislativeinitiatives to strengthen our economy or to rein in deficit spending, supporting our troops who courageouslydefend our nation's security, or seeking passage of my own legislative proposals such as the adoption of

whistleblower protections for federal employees who report waste and fraud, I will remain an engaged servantof the people to the end of my term in office.

Before closing, I want to recognize a few people who are particularly important to me. First, I want to pay

special tribute to my real-life heroes - my remarkable late father, Dutch Platts, and my amazing mom, BabsPlatts, who is here with us today. But for the love and support of my parents and the life lessons they instilled

StatementOffice of Congressman Todd Platts

19th District, Pennsylvania

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Platts Announcement ± Page 2

in me as a child and to this very day - lessons such as "work hard, be honest, and stand-up for what you believeis right" - I would not be standing before you here today as a United States Congressman.

Finally, last but clearly not least, I want to honor my wife Leslie and my sons T.J. and Tom for the sacrifices

they have made in support of my hands-on service to our community and nation. I cannot emphasize enoughthat my dedication and commitment to the people of the 19th District has been a dedicated, family commitment.

Although coming home to York every night certainly has allowed me to maintain a very close and personalengagement with my family, there have been plenty of family dinners, kids' ballgames, and other school or

family events that I have had to miss due to the demands of my office. I am honored to publicly thank LeslieT.J., and Tom for being great partners with me along this journey of service and for keeping me grounded in

what is truly most important in one's life. I am proud to be a United States Congressman. I am most proudhowever, to be Babs and Dutch's son, Leslie's husband, and T.J.'s and Tom's dad.

While I do not know what the future holds for me professionally, my family members, friends, and fellow

Central Pennsylvanians can be assured that my Congressional campaign's theme of "Putting People First.Always!" will continue to guide me in all that I do. Thank you."

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