16 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 all 100 House members to lead the chamber. This role includes everything from appointing legislators to committees and maintaining order and decorum in the chamber, to overseeing about 80 House employees and managing the over $20 million House budget.” In the House, your committee work includes the Ways and Means Committee and the Legislative Council Interim Study Committee. How do the issues addressed in these committees affect Hoosiers? “As co-chair of the Ways and Means Committee, I had the opportunity to author the 2019 Indiana state budget along with other meaningful tax and fiscal legislation. The budget was balanced, and we invested in our priorities like K-12 education, infrastructure and economic development. “We ensured that we had ample reserves, which turned out to be critical in helping us Todd Huston: Speaker of the House Rep. Todd Huston was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 2012, serving District 37 covering the city of Fishers and a portion of Hamilton County. In March 2020, he was sworn in as speaker of the House. Prior to serving in the Indiana General Assembly, Huston served on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board, the State Board of Education and the Fishers Advisory Plan Commission, and he was chief of staff for former schools Superintendent Tony Bennett. Currently, Huston is senior vice president at The College Board, a not-for-profit that oversees the SAT, AP and other academic exams. He is a graduate of Indiana University. Huston and his wife, Denise, have two children. What are your responsibilities as speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives? “The speaker of the House is voted on by navigate the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on our economy and state budget. Serving on Ways and Means allows a member to be engaged in so many issues that impact Hoosiers across our state. “I am the chair of the Legislative Council for the 2020 interim. One of the main responsibilities of the Legislative Council is to assign study topics to interim study committees, and in some circumstances create new interim committees, such as the Legislative Continuity Committee. The issues studied during the interim often become topics of legislation that get introduced during the legislative session.” You are on the senior leadership team of The College Board, have served in statewide education endeavors and on district school boards, and your wife is an educator. How does your background in education complement your work as a state representative? Speaker Todd Huston listens intently during House discussions.
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