OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Secretary of State Glenn Coffee says he's stepping down to pursue opportunities in the private sector.

Coffee announced his decision Friday, describing his two years in the cabinet-level position as a "dream come true."

The first-ever Republican Senate President Pro Tem, Coffee has been secretary of state since January 2011 after he was forced from his state Senate seat because of term limits.

As secretary of state under Gov. Mary Fallin, Coffee served as the governor's chief negotiator with the Legislature on the budget and some key policy issues. Fallin says her Secretary of Finance Preston Doerflinger will assume Coffee's duties as lead budget negotiator.

Fallin says her office plans to retain Coffee as an outside consultant on negotiations over water rights.

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