Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer—or speaker—of the United States House of Representatives. The position is elected in much the same way prime ministers are elected under a parliamentary systems. The current Speaker is Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat representing California's 8th congressional district.

The Speaker is second in United States presidential line of succession, after the Vice President and before the president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate. The Speaker 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.