JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — After 32 years on the job, the Missouri Senate’s parliamentarian-in-chief is ready to hang up her hat.

Terry Spieler, who has served as Senate secretary since 1982, will retire in December ahead of the next General Assembly, Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey said Thursday. A Russellville native, Spieler started working on the Senate staff in 1976.

The secretary of the Senate is charged with maintaining order and enforcing Senate rules. For the first time in three decades, the Senate will have the chance to choose a new secretary.

Over the past 16 terms, Spieler has been chosen for the non-partisan post by Democratic and Republican majorities. The resolution to place a new secretary will be offered up by Dempsey, he said, and then put to a vote of the entire body.