Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The current Speaker is Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat representing California’s 8th congressional district. The Speaker is second in the United States presidential line of succession, after the Vice President and before the president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate.[1] Unlike the Speaker of the British House of Commons the Speaker of the House does not normally personally preside over debates, instead delegating the duty to other members of Congress of the same political party. Aside from duties relating to heading the House and the majority political party, the Speaker also performs administrative and procedural functions, and remains the Representative of his or her congressional district. The Speaker is elected on the first day of a new session of Congress.
