NASHVILLE (AP) — Former Republican state Sen. Jim Tracy is joining the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance as a senior adviser.

The department announced Friday that it has hired the former Shelbyville lawmaker and insurance agent.

Tracy most recently served as state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in rural development under then-President Donald Trump's administration.

Tracy was first elected to the Senate in 2004, then left the elected position for the USDA job in November 2017.