General Information about the General Assembly: 76-1
PRESIDING OFFICERS
The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House are the presiding
officers and call their respective chambers to order. They decide all
questions of order and rule on all inquiries relating to procedure with the
advice of their parliamentarians. In the Senate, the parliamentary duties are
performed by the Secretary of the Senate; in the House, by the Chief Clerk.
Each chamber has a Sergeant-at-Arms to enforce the rules and decisions of the
presiding officers. On rare occasions when the noise level is particularly
high, a presiding officer may clear the chamber of all individuals except for
the elected members themselves.
When a chamber is in session, the presiding officer is addressed as either
Mister or Madame President or Mister or Madame Speaker. If the President or
Speaker is not able to preside, the President or the Speaker designates the
President Pro Tempore or Speaker Pro Tempore, or some other individual, to
preside. That individual is addressed as if he or she were the President or
Speaker.
Iowa General Assembly
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© 1995 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa
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Last update: 1995
URL: /DOCS/GA/76GA/LSB/LegHandbook/GeneralInfo/Presiding.html
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