Mark Foley, six-term Representative of Florida and chairman of the House caucus on missing and exploited children, stepped down immediately after an ABC News report that he sent message to current and former congressional pages with repeated references to sexual organs and acts.

    "Today I have delivered a letter to the Speaker of the House informing him of my decision to resign from the U.S. House of Representatives, effective today," Foley said in a statement.

    "I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I have had the privilege to represent."

    Foley's decision to resign just five weeks before the Nov. 7 congressional election complicated Republican efforts to retain control of the House of Representatives. Democrats must pick up 15 seats to reclaim a House majority.

    Lawyers from both parties were examining Florida election laws to see if his name can be removed from the ballot in his Republican-leaning district, party sources said, but it might be too late.

    Foley won re-election in 2004 with 68 percent of the vote and was favored to win in November over Democrat Tim Mahoney, a self-funding financial officer. President George W. Bush carried the district with 54 percent of the vote.

    Foley, who represents a district in southern Florida, also was a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax and trade policy. Enditem

    (Agencies)