How does the Speaker of the House of Representatives become the designated speaker??
The Speaker of the United States 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, whose term will expire at the end of the 109th Congress on January 3, 2007. Owing to the recent victory of the Democratic Party in the 2006 midterm elections, Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, is likely to be elected Speaker of the House for the 110th Congress. The office of Speaker was created by the Constitution of the United States. The Speaker is elected by the House of Representatives, and is its highest-ranking officer. Although the text of the Constitution does not require the Speaker to also be a member of the House, in fact the Speaker has always been a Representative. The Speaker is always a member of the majority party, and is that party’s leader, outranking the House Majority Leader. The “Speaker of the House,” as the officer is colloquially kno
