The Speaker of the House in the US leads debates, decides how the House will proceed, and is second in line to assume the presidency. The majority party elects the rapporteur and retains control of decisions. Other countries have their own versions of the Speaker of the House. The US Senate is administered by a president, who functions in the same way. Other variants of the Speaker of the House may be called the chairman of some legislative bodies.
The Speaker of the House in the United States is the leader of the House of Representatives. He usually leads the debates that take place in the House, decides how the House will proceed, and is involved in some administrative tasks such as announcing the final tallies on matters. In the United States, this person is also second in line to assume the presidency after the vice president. If the president and vice president were unable to serve, the president would get the office.
Typically, the majority party elects the rapporteur, and as such, the majority party often retains control of the decisions made on bills presented in the House. Some notable Speakers of the House include Tip O’Neil, Newt Gingrich, Dennis Hastert, and Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to hold the office.
While in theory, the speaker is the leader of the entire House, he normally aligns with his party in decisions and helps support particular decisions that the majority party wants passed. This has historically been the case, although some have shown some bipartisanship in leading the House of Representatives.
Other countries also have a version of the Speaker of the House. The President of the United States is similar to the Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. The President is authorized to vote on matters, however, only in the event of a tie. The Canadian House and Senate also have speakers.
The US Senate doesn’t have a speaker, but is often administered by a president, who functions in the same way. Technically, the president or head of the Senate is the vice president. Yet, more frequently, he is a senator from the majority party. However, as with the House of Commons in the UK, the Vice-President votes in the Senate only in the event of a tied vote.
Other variants of the Speaker of the House may be called the chairman of some legislative bodies, such as the Speaker of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. In Ireland, the leader of the lowest house of parliament, Dáil Éireann, is called Ceann Comhairle. The function of him is similar to that of other speakers around the world.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
