House Journal: Page 11: Monday, January 11, 1999

11  inauguration of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

The motion prevailed and the resolution was adopted.
IMMEDIATE MESSAGES
Siegrist of Pottawattamie asked and received unanimous consent that the following bills be immediately messaged to the Senate: 
House Concurrent Resolutions 1, 2 and 3.
ELECTION OF SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE
Sukup of Franklin placed in nomination the Honorable Christopher Rants as candidate for Speaker pro tempore of the House of 
Representatives of the Seventy-eighth General Assembly, preceding his nomination with the following remarks:
Thank you Mr. Speaker.
I wish to place in nomination the name of Christopher Rants of Woodbury County for the office of Speaker pro tempore. For the first time in four years we'll be 
selecting a new Speaker pro tempore. And yes, those will be big wooden shoes to fill. The level of integrity and fairness has been established for this position. 
Representative Rants has those qualities, and his enthusiasm for the legislative process has him arriving early each day and working on the challenges that face us 
in Iowa.
Chris has a deep respect for the Iowa House and its institution. As we all know Chris enjoys a rigorous and occasionally engaging discussion of the issues. But at 
the same time the protocol and civility of the debate must maintain the highest standards. As Speaker pro tempore I know Chris will help the House keep those 
expectations.
Chris has occasionally tried to maintain some of our quotas for culture by quoting Voltaire. But his every day actions as a leader in the Iowa House best 
demonstrate his devotion to debate and democracy. I ask you to join me in supporting Christopher Rants for Speaker pro tempore of the Iowa House.
Thank you Mr. Speaker.
Bradley of Clinton seconded the nomination of Representative Rants as Speaker pro tempore of the House of Representatives, 
preceding his nomination with the following remarks:
Thank you Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, I rise to second the nomination of the Honorable Chris Rants for the position of Speaker pro 
tempore of the House.
In the years I've spent with this House when I first came to meet Chris, I met an individual who I saw that represented many of the young officers that I'd run 
into in the military. He was assertive, he was sure of himself, sometimes a little abrasive, and ^certainly he was a person who you knew where he stood on an issue. 
Over the four years I've come to have a deep respect for Representative Rants. And I believe he has some of the rare qualities I would like to see in a person holding 
this position. He is very proactive in many of the issues that come to this body. In a certain way he recognizes those when those issues are young and before they 
become chaotic and emotional and he attacks them when they're small and we can still deal with those issues when we can handle them rationally and objectively.
Representative Rants has an excellent analytical mind. He communicates his thoughts and his ideas very clearly. If you know Chris, you know he doesn't sugar 
coat his position. He does not straddle the fence nor is he timid. You know exactly where he stands. One thing I've come to appreciate very much though is the fact 
that he is attentive to others' opinions and their thoughts on issues whether or not they mirror his. I believe this is an attribute that any good leader should have.
The other thing is that he is able to bounce so many balls so uniquely and carefully without compromising any of the issues. Certainly very important. Lastly and 
certainly not least, Representative Rants has a deep and abiding respect for the role and responsibilities of this House and the responsibilities of the office of Speaker 
pro tempore, and the discharge of those responsibilities. I've noted that he's a leader who places the needs of the citizens of this state above his own personal self-
interest or agenda. Certainly an imperative for any leadership position. I urge this body to support and unanimously select Representative Rants for this position. 
Thank you.
Connors of Polk seconded the nomination of Representative Rants, preceding his nomination with the following remarks:
Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House:
It is my distinct honor and privilege to second the nomination of Mr. Christopher Rants of Woodbury County for Speaker pro tempore of the Iowa House of 
Representatives.
While researching for the remarks of Speakers pro tempore from those first printed in the House Journal of January 11, 1909, which was 90 years ago, I was 
impressed with the concerns, dedication and sincerity of those men to the duties of this office.
Representative Rants is now serving his fourth term in the House. He has been loyal to this House, and he cares about this institution and the people in it.
As a member of the minority we shall respect the power of the majority, but will rely upon the kind of fairness that Representative Rants is qualified and capable 
of performing as Speaker pro tempore that both parties will respect these next two years, and aid Speaker Corbett and Governor Vilsack in making the people of 
Iowa proud of our service.
I move that the Chief Clerk be directed to cast the votes of all the members of the House of Representatives for the Honorable Christopher Rants of Woodbury 
County.
In accordance with the foregoing motion, the Chief Clerk cast the votes of all the members of the House of Representatives for 
the Honorable Christopher Rants as Speaker pro tempore of the House of ^Representatives of the Seventy-eighth General 
Assembly.  The Honorable Christopher Rants of Woodbury County, having received all of the votes cast for the office of Speaker pro 
tempore of the House of Representatives of the Seventy-eighth General Assembly, was declared duly elected to that office.
Sukup of Franklin moved that a committee of two be appointed to escort the Speaker pro tempore to the chair.
The motion prevailed and the following committee was appointed:  Sukup of Franklin and Connors of Polk.
Representative Rants was escorted to the Speaker's station and, being duly sworn, offered the following remarks:
George Washington wrote. "Be not tedious in discourse, make not many digressions, nor repeat often the same matter of discourse."  With that in mind, I won't 
retread the ground covered by Speaker Corbett.  There will be plenty of opportunity for that over the next one hundred days.
Instead, I'd like to take just a moment of your time to share a few thoughts with our new colleagues.  Let me be among the many to offer congratulations on your 
election, and let me be among the first to welcome you to the Iowa House.  And welcome you to your new extended family.  Because, you will find over the next two 
years, that is what we are.  Like many Iowa families, we can be a little dysfunctional at times, but all the same, we care for one another, we will laugh together, at 
times even cry together, but all the while, we will be working together to make Iowa a better place for all of our families back home.  And in that vein, there are just 
a few words of advice I would like to offer you.
Always honor your word.  Now, I do not enjoy the reputation of being overly bipartisan.  This is all right.  The framers of our constitution wanted spirited, and 
partisan debates.  I hope, however, that even my most ardent critic would grant that I am honest, even in the most heated of debates.  Because the integrity, my new 
fellow legislators, of giving your word, and then living up to it is the bond that holds this place together.  That makes compromise between disparate parties possible.  
If you cannot honor a commitment, do not make it.  Because once your word has been broken, that kind of trust is very difficult to rebuild.
Always honor the process and the institution.  Perhaps the most daunting task before us over the next two years in ensuring, if not rebuilding, the publics trust 
of government.  More often than not, the general public does not make distinctions when they form their opinion about the Iowa legislature.  They do not differ 
between rural or urban representatives, they aren't concerned over our partisan differences, they do not care whether we are from eastern or western Iowa.  No, they 
paint us with a very broad brush.  We are all representatives of the people.  And as such, we share the same institution, follow the same process, and should treat 
them both with respect.

© 1999 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

Comments about this site or page? hjourn@legis.iowa.gov.
Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.

Last update: Mon Aug 30 13:40:04 CDT 1999
URL: /DOCS/GA/78GA/Session.1/HJournal/00000/00011.html
jhf