Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, was unanimously reelected in Olympia as Senate president pro tempore, a role she has served in since 2018.
Keiser also serves as vice chair to the Senate Rules Committee and presides as chair when the lieutenant governor is not available.
“A presiding officer must come to the role with a strong knowledge of the rules, but most importantly, with a strong sense of fairness and judiciousness so that every member’s voice is heard,” Keiser said in a Jan. 11 State Senate Democrats news release. “I’m honored that my colleagues have put their trust in me, and I will do my best for them and for the Senate.”
Keiser was appointed to the state House of Representatives in 1995 and ran and won her first election in 1996. She was appointed to the Senate in 2001 and has been reelected by voters ever since, including in 2022. Her term expires in 2026.
State Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, and also of the 33rd Legislative District, was unanimously reelected speaker pro tempore of the House of Representatives. The 33rd District includes parts of Kent, Des Moines, SeaTac and Burien.
Officers pro tempore, or “for a time,” preside over a legislative body when the chief presiding officers, the lieutenant governor as president of the Senate or the speaker of the House, are not available.
In 2018, Keiser and Orwall became the first members from the same district in state history to serve in presiding roles at the same time.
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