Conard Recalls Days as Speaker of the Kansas House
By LINDA DOHERTY
Kansan Staff Writer
Newly elected Speaker of the House of the Kansas legislature, Duane S. (Pete) McGill, R-Winfield, will be participating in a process that has changed little in the last five years, according to John Conard, the former Speaker of the House and a former Speaker of the House.
Conard, first elected as a Representative from Kiowa County in 1856, served five terms in the legislature and was elected Speaker in 1867.
"Being Speaker is a very interesting position," Conard said Wednesday. "In my opinion, it's the most interesting position in all of state politics."
Just as McGill was unchallenged in his bid for the House position, Conard was uncontested when he sought the position of Speaker. He had not opposing legislators for anyone else, but did
"WHEN THE legislature convened in
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1967, my support was so strong that there were no other candidates." Conard said.
According to Conard, as soon as the Speaker has legislative support he begins to exercise his authority by organizing the House. He said that through House rules and customs, the Speaker has almost complete control over its organization.
The Speaker's duties include making appointments for House positions and assigning committee chairmen, as well as assigning House members to all the committees.
When I was Speaker, there were about 30 or 40 committees, so it was quite a job. Now, some of the committees have been formed, so it isn't quite so bad." Conard said.
WITH HIS powers of appointment, to some extent, the Speaker can determine the direction the legislature will take, said Conard. His choice of personnel to paraphrase committee members can balance them so they will be favorable towards certain issues.
In the opening days of the first session, the Speaker must insure that appropriate legislation is passed to adopt new rules and regulations of the House, Conard said, although few changes are made from one session to the next.
"I had a standing joke with the press," Conard said, "that "I was strongly in favor of changes in the House, immediately after I left office. As a matter of fact, the greatest challenge in the making of the committees, did take place after I left office, but that was purely confidential."
WHEN THE FORM of the legislature is established, the Speaker of the House should ask the Governor, Conard said, he
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needed only that his chief did not
enjoy about his position as Speaker was the
excessive pressure sometimes exerted by
lobbying groups.
842-8664
must pay special attention to major bills and may even have to keep watch over their day to day progress to keep them from getting bogged down in committees.
"The chairman of the calendar committee and I conferred every day and arranged the calendar for the next day's session," Conard said. "It's a very important task, because if a bill is placed at the bottom of the calendar every day, it can
Another responsibility of the Speaker is to arrange the calendar* that the committee will use.
Although he has no plans to seek another political position, Conard still maintains an actual role.
" ONE TIME 5,000 PTA women descended on Topeka pushing for appropriations for education. It was a little bad. They even told me they corner me in the elevator." Conard said.
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"I miss it—the inside political activity. I still so some things. In fact, I serve as a precinct committeeman here in Lawrence," he said.
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"I intend to keep working some for individual candidates. I don't have plans."
a candidate although I can't divorce myself from a very important part of my life," she said.
Conard said that now the greatest portion of interest was primarily in high education.
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