Upmeyer new Speaker of the Iowa House

[caption id="attachment_12375" align="alignleft" width="270"] Rep. Linda Upmeyer
(R-Clear Lake)[/caption]

House Republicans have selected Rep. Linda Upmeyer (R-Clear Lake) as the new Speaker of the Iowa House, effective at the beginning of the 2016 legislative session.  Upmeyer is the first woman to be elected Speaker in the Iowa House.

  Rep. Upmeyer will succeed Rep. Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) who announced earlier this month that he will not seek re-election and his intention to resign as Speaker before the 2016 session.

“It is an honor to be selected as the next Speaker of the Iowa House and lead my caucus going into 2016,” said Rep. Upmeyer.  “House Republicans are united and ready to return to Des Moines next January to continue crafting a budget that lives within our means and spends less than the state collects, just like Iowans do every day.  House Republicans will also continue working to create a friendly business climate, strengthen Iowa families, and finding ways to make government smaller and more efficient.”

  Upmeyer, who was first elected to the House in 2002, previously served as the House Minority Whip for two years and most recently the House Majority Leader since 2011.