NASHVILLE (AP) — A Democratic Tennessee lawmaker says he's resigning from his leadership position after a House ethics panel concluded he violated the General Assembly's sexual harassment policy.

Rep. Rick Staples announced Thursday he would step down as assistant House minority leader so he could end the "unwarranted suffering" on his family.

In his statement, Staples said he would not comment further on the issue moving forward.

House Speaker Glen Casada's office received a letter from the House Workplace Discrimination and Harassment Subcommittee on April 1, which said the panel had reviewed complaints against Staples.

According to the letter, the subcommittee directed the Knoxville Democrat to take actions to ensure the violation does not happen again and to report back to the subcommittee.