The Role of the Speaker of the House
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is elected by his or her fellow Members to preside over the House. The Speaker typically maintains three roles, as the Representative for his or her district, as a leader of his or her party, and as the leader of the House as a whole. The party that holds a majority of the seats in the House will generally elect a Representative of their own party to serve as Speaker.
As specified in the rules and customs of the House, responsibilities of the Speaker include:
- Calling the House to order.
- Administering the oath of office to House Members.
- Presiding over debate, recognizing Members to speak on the floor, and preserving order; or delegating that power to another Member of Congress.
- Setting the legislative agenda.
- Leading the appointment process for the chairs of the various committees and subcommittees in the House, including conference committees which negotiate final versions of legislation.
The Speaker is also second in the line of succession to the presidency after the Vice President under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947.
On January 4, 2007, Pelosi was elected to serve as Speaker, becoming the first woman, the first Californian, and the first Italian American to hold the position.
Pictured above: Former Speaker Tip O'Neill with Speaker Pelosi.