To summarize my qualifications, I have served many succesful terms as Senator and Speaker of the Senate, helped write the current Senate Rules and am a reasonably accomplished legislator. I anticipate these next two months being my most active for a while, and hope to server the Union well.
What is your plan or approach this legislative session is selected as Speaker? How will you each handle potential conflict or tension amongst Senators? How will you ensure fairness and efficiency? And are you open to support a review process of Senate rules and procedures to ensure they're fair, contemporary, and effective?
1. I will execute the rules of the Senate as written, and attempt to rouse the Senate to activity as much as possible. I will also be sure to delegate more of my powers as Speaker to act when I'm busy or not online to the Deputy Speaker.
2. While the role of the Speaker is not necessarily one of mediator, I hope I can use my powers to keep discussion polite and professional, and informally work to resolve differences.
3. This Senate term will be my most attentive yet and for a long while. I will try to avoid using my office in a biased manner, and the new mechanisms of override and a simpler mechanism for removing the speaker will, I hope, maintain a higher standard for the office no matter whoe holds it.
4. It is my hope that our days old Senate rules are reasonably fit to purpose, but I would be open and supportive of the continued process of emendation to make sure they fit the evolving needs of our body.
Thank you for your thought provoking questions!
