Former Kansas Senate Majority Leader Jay Emler has taken a seat on the state commission that regulates utilities.

Emler was sworn in as a member of the Kansas Corporation Commission on Friday, one day after the Senate voted 38-0 to confirm his appointment by Gov. Sam Brownback. Emler abstained from that vote, and another senator was absent.

After winning confirmation, Emler resigned from the Legislature.

Emler is a Lindsborg Republican who had served in the Senate since 2001. He is a former chairman of the chamber’s Utilities Committee and served as majority leader in 2011 and 2012.

Emler will replace former KCC Chairman Mark Sievers, who stepped down in December citing personal reasons. The KCC said Emler will serve the remainder of Sievers’ four-year term, through mid-March 2015.