Dennis Michael O'Brien is the 137th and current Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives holds the oldest state-wide Elected office in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Legislature of the U

O'Brien represents Pennsylvania's 169th Legislative District, which is located in Northeast Philadelphia. Northeast Philadelphia ("the Northeast" is a section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Archbishop Ryan High School (often called Archbishop Ryan or simply Ryan is a Roman Catholic high school located in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, USA. For the university in Manila Philippines see De La Salle University. 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. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. H William "Bill" DeWeese, (born April 18 1950) is the Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 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. John Michael Perzel (born January 7 1950 is an American Republican Politician who represents the 172nd Legislative District ( Northeast Philadelphia O'Brien is the first ever minority-party Speaker in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. [1]

External links

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