Updated with new details on Palumbo’s plans to take a job with Amazon.

Washington State Sen. Guy Palumbo, who represents Mountlake Terrace and Brier in the 1st Legislative District, announced Friday that he is resigning from the Senate, effective immediately.

Our online news partner The Seattle Times reported that Palumbo is taking a job with Amazon, where he worked earlier in his career as a senior manager.

Now, Palumbo will serve as Amazon’s director of public policy for the state, The Times reported.

“Representing the residents of the 1st Legislative District has been the distinguishing honor of my professional life,” Palumbo said in a statement. “As rewarding as it has been to serve in the Senate, the role I cherish most is being a husband and father. I am returning to the private sector so I can be closer to my home and young family and my small business.”

Palumbo was elected to the Senate in 2016. He and his wife own Roscoe’s Ranch, a dog boarding business in Maltby. His Senate term was set to expire in 2020. According to Senate Democratic Caucus spokesman Kenneth Fockele, while Palumbo is going to work for Amazon, Roscoe’s Ranch will remain open.

Sen. Majority Leader Andy Billig said the process for filling Palumbo’s seat rests with the 1st Legislative District Democrats, who will nominate three names for consideration by both the King and Snohomish County Councils. At a special meeting, those councilmembers will select a nominee to fill out the remainder of Palumbo’s term.

The appointee will represent the 1st Legislative District during the 2020 legislative session and “if they choose, run for re-election in 2020 when Sen. Palumbo’s term would have expired,” Billig said.

Palumbo noted that when he ran in 2016 he promised to address transportation and infrastructure problems in the community. “In three short years, investments in our district have grown exponentially compared to the prior two decades with $720 million in transportation investments and another $180 million in capital construction investments,” he said.

“While the work isn’t finished, I feel like I am leaving our district and our state in better shape than when I took office.  I am proud of leading on climate change and passing the nation’s strongest 100 percent clean energy bill as well as the Solar Fairness Act to ensure we promote installations of rooftop solar in our state.

He said he was also proud of the Legislature’s work to guarantee free college tuition for lower-income students and create the nation’s first Long Term Care Trust to ensure that Washingtonians will have the care they need later in life.

“Our state continues to lead and make progress on key policy issues that will make people’s lives better,” Palumbo said.