What Role Does The Speaker Of The House Of Representatives Have?
A pivotal role in Congress is the Speaker of the House of Representatives. They help maintain order, shape legislation, and act as the main representation of the House of Representatives to the public. If you are unfamiliar with the role that they have in government, it will help to know a few highlights of what their responsibilities entail.
Preside Over House Sessions
A primary role of the Speaker of the House is to preside over the House of Representative sessions. They are the person that helps enforce the rules, maintain decorum, and make sure that everything proceeds smoothly. The Speaker is the person that will oversee voting, recognize members of the House so they can speak, and make rulings. They are essentially the person that is in charge and all the representatives answer to them.
Influence Legislative Agendas
The Speaker is the person that has influence over the agenda that the House covers. They determine the schedule and what bills will be discussed, which can help shape legislation across the country. This is done by working with the various party leaders and committee chairs to find out what bills are important and should be up for debate and vote. This helps prevent fringe ideas from taking up time during House sessions when more important matters should be addressed.
Advocate for Party Policies
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is elected by the other House members. This means that the Speaker is typically elected by the party that holds the majority of the seats in the House. This allows the Speaker to focus on policies brought forth by the majority party to make them a top priority.
Being elected by the majority also means that the Speaker can help rally support for those initiatives that are important to their party. They can help properly articulate the various policies and positions that the majority party wants to present to the public, which can help get the public on board with what the Speaker is set to accomplish.
Appoint Committee Members
Another role of the Speaker is to appoint committee members. Shaping the representation of committees can help ensure that there is a balance of representation across different political policy areas. The speaker will want to appoint members to committees that have aligned interests with the committee. It allows House members that are passionate about certain topics to help shape legislation, which is better for the people that the House members represent.