Dennis M. O'Brien

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Dennis Michael O'Brien is the 137th and current Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

O'Brien represents Pennsylvania's 169th Legislative District, which is located in Northeast Philadelphia. Born in Philadelphia in 1952, he is a graduate of Archbishop Ryan High School and La Salle University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. He is married to the former Bernadette M. Benson and they have three sons, Dennis Jr., Brendan and Joseph.

O'Brien standing below the Speaker's Chair

O'Brien was first elected in 1976, serving though 1980. He was re-elected to the House in 1982 and has been re-elected in each succeeding election. Prior to his elevation to Speaker, he served as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. A national leader on Autism, Speaker O'Brien is the founder and co-chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Autism Caucus. Currently, he is working on legislation to require insurance companies to include Autism services for up to $3,000 a month.

O'Brien became the Speaker of the House following deals between Republicans and Democrats. Despite a one-seat Democratic majority, the Democratic leader, H. William DeWeese, was unable to gather the votes necessary to win back the Speakership due to some dissatisfaction within his own caucus because of his handling of matters as leader, and notably due to the decision by one member in his caucus to vote for John Perzel, the incumbent Speaker. DeWeese nominated O'Brien, a Republican and a Perzel rival, in a surprise move. O'Brien went on to defeat the incumbent Speaker John M. Perzel 105-97. O'Brien is the first ever minority-party Speaker in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. [1]

[edit] External links

• Representative O'Brien's Constituent Website
• Official Website of the Speaker of the House
• Denny's Re-Election Webpage

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