Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

In the United States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives. The current Speaker is Dennis Hastert, a Republican Congressman from Illinois, who has held office since January 6, 1999.

Presiding officer

The Speaker holds a variety of powers as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives, but normally delegates them to another member of the majority party. Before any member may speak, he or she must seek the presiding officer's recognition. The presiding officer may call on members as he or she pleases, and may therefore control the flow of debate. The presiding officer also rules on all points of order, but his or her rulings may be appealed to the whole House. He or she is responsible for maintaining decorum in the House, and may order the Sergeant-at-Arms to enforce the rules. On the floor of the House, the presiding officer is always addressed as "Mister Speaker" or "Madam Speaker" (even if the Speaker him or herself is not the individual presiding). When the House resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole, the presiding officer is addressed as "Mister Chairman" or "Madam Chairman."

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The Speaker's powers and duties extend beyond presiding in the chamber. In particular, he or she has great influence over the committee process. The Speaker selects nine of the thirteen members of the powerful Committee on Rules, subject to the approval of the conference of the majority party. (The remaining four members are chosen by the leadership of the minority party.) Furthermore, the Speaker appoints all members of select committees and conference committees. Moreover, when a bill is introduced, the Speaker determines which committee shall consider it.

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As a member of the House, the Speaker is entitled to participate in debate and to vote. By custom, however, he or she does so only in exceptional circumstances. Normally, the Speaker votes only when his or her vote would be decisive, and on matters of great importance (such as constitutional amendments).

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