State Rep. Orwall named House deputy speaker pro tempore

The House confirmed State Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, on Monday in Olympia as deputy speaker pro tempore.

“It is an incredible honor to be elected by my peers as deputy speaker pro temper,” Orwall said in a media release. “I will work hard to ensure the process is fair and all voices are heard.”

Orwall has served as assistant speaker pro tempore for the past two years.

Orwall’s 33rd Legislative District includes Normandy Park, Des Moines and parts of Kent, Burien, SeaTac and Renton.

The deputy speaker pro temper presides over sessions of the House as needed when the speaker pro temper and the speaker of the House are unable to do so. As active speaker, Orwall will be tasked with keeping the process flowing as smoothly as possible when lawmakers are debating proposals on the floor.

This biennium Orwall will continue to serve on the powerful Rules Committee, which is where all bills are subject to consideration for a House floor vote. She also will keep her seat in the Judiciary Committee, which oversees a wide variety of issues relating to family, civil, commercial and criminal law, as well as Consumer Protection Act remedies and processes, and courts and judicial administration.

Orwall will take on new responsibilities serving on the Education Committee, which deals entirely with issues relating to kindergarten through 12th grade, and on the newly formed Government Operations & Elections Committee.

Last month, several policy committees were restructured in preparation for the 2013 session, narrowing the focus of some and expanding the duties of others. Such is the case of the new Government Operations & Elections Committee, which will look at issues relating to the processes of state government and issues relating to elections, campaign finance, public disclosure and ethics.