SALEM — Oregon State Rep. Vic Gilliam, R-Silverton, is stepping down effective Feb. 1, the first day of the 2017 legislative session.

Gilliam, who publicly acknowledged his “likely diagnosis” of ALS in late 2015, said in a letter to constituents Jan. 30 that “several changes in life show it’s time to announce my resignation as your state representative.

“After prayer, consulting family and friends, I was led to this decision for reasons including fairness to you my constituents,” Gilliam wrote.

In an email, his legislative office declined to comment further, saying Gilliam “is asking for privacy.”

Gilliam was first appointed to the seat in 2007, and was most recently reelected to the position in November.

According to his biography on the Oregon Legislature’s website, Gilliam graduated from Franklin High School in Portland and was a legislative aide to former U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield and served on the state’s Educational Coordinating Council as an appointee of former Oregon Gov. Tom McCall.

His departure leaves a vacancy that the local Republican Party needs to fill within 30 days; otherwise the governor must appoint a replacement.

According to state statute, the local Republican party will choose three to five nominees in accordance with party rules, and Marion County commissioners will vote on which of those nominees should take the position.

The spot is one of 25 occupied by Republicans in the Oregon House — the other 35 slots are held by Democrats, meaning the majority party is just shy of a 3/5 majority in the chamber.

In a statement, House Minority Leader Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, praised Gilliam as a “wonderful colleague and an even better friend.”

“As a freshman legislator, I remember looking up to Vic as a statesman, who handled the people’s business with dignity and class, but without taking himself too seriously,” McLane said. “As the Republican Leader, I came to rely on him for his counsel, his moral clarity and his unfailing wit.”

It’s the second post-election vacancy in the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Former state Sen. Chris Edwards, D-Eugene, stepped down in late November to take a position at the University of Oregon’s new Knight Campus. Edwards has been replaced by James Manning, Jr.