Mike O'Neal - Biography - 104th District

Kansas Speaker of the House

In the even numbered years, on the first Monday in December, each party of the House holds a caucus where they select members for legislative leadership offices. These officers are the Speaker, Speaker Pro Tem, Majority Leader, Minority Leader and other party or caucus officers.

The House ratifies their decisions of each party caucus from the reorganizational meeting by formally electing its officers on the first day of the Legislative Session.

The presiding officer of the Senate is the President and of the House, the Speaker. These offices are the only two legislative leadership positions required by the Constitution.

The House Rules prescribe most of the powers and duties of these officers. However, some of their responsibilities are statutory.

The Speaker is selected by the members of the majority party and functions as a leader of that party. Ceremonially, the Speaker represents the whole house, but politically is the legislative voice of the party in power.

The term "speaker" is a title often given to the presiding officer of a legislative body. The duties of the Speaker are to call the House to order at the time set for meeting each day and see that the proper order of business is followed according to the rules and items on the legislative calendar. He is responsible for recognizing members who wish to make motions, present points of order, make inquiries, or participate in debate, and the Speaker also must sign all bills passed. The Speaker appoints the standing and other committees and refers bills and resolutions to the appropriate committees. The Speaker often also represents the House in person, as the voice of the body in ceremonial and other situations. All the while, maintaining his role as a State Representative for his elected district.

Mike was elected the 47th Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives on December 1, 2008. Chief Justice Davis swore Rep.O'Neal into the Office of Speaker on January 12, 2009.

Speaker O'Neal's remarks at the start of the 2011 Legislative Session

Thank you, Mr. Chief Justice. Elected Republican and Democrat House leaders, colleagues, staff and friends, it's once again a huge honor to be serving as your Speaker for the next term.

Two years ago on this day I addressed you on the silver anniversary of my service to my constituents and the people of the great State of Kansas. Today we are on the threshold of our state's 150^th anniversary of statehood and occupy a historically restored Representative Hall that is 130 years old. Take a moment and consider, if you will, the over 5000 House members who have served in this body and in this very chamber. Imagine the issues, debates and historic votes taken here that have shaped our state's past and future. You are special indeed. Serve with honor and humility.

100 years ago, on the first day of the 1911 Session, Speaker Buchman addressed the House. His address included these words:

"I feel that the Legislature of 1911 can be and will be one of the history-making Legislatures of this state. As I look into your faces, many of whom I know, I undertake to say that there is no legislature of any state in this Union that can show up a better line of men than I see before me now occupying these seats."

Needless to say, we've come a long way since the Session of 1911. The body I look out over today has been enriched by the presence of a high percentage of women Representatives, and Kansas is much the better for it. I am a better person thanks to my strong and beautiful wife, Cindy, the speaker of my House, and we as a House are blessed with bright and talented women who serve their constituents with distinction and our men are blessed with strong, supportive and influential spouses who partner with them for the good of the state.

50 years ago, on the centennial of Kansas statehood, the House was addressed by another lawyer from Hutchinson. William L. "Bill" Mitchell, a man I admired greatly both as a public leader and as a fellow lawyer, addressed the House on the day Gov. John Anderson delivered his first legislative message. True to form for speakers past and present, Speaker Mitchell announced that "This will be the hardest-working Legislature in the 100-year history of Kansas, and you can depend upon it."

In reading an account of the opening day of that session, I was struck by the irony of the message given that day by Senate President Pro Tem Paul Wunsch who told the Senate:

"It has been regrettable that for the past 6 years there has not been a cooperative spirit between the executive and the Legislature so that our many problems could be so met and resolved."

The paper noted that without mentioning names, he was apparently alluding to conflicts between the Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic Governor George Docking and earlier between GOP Gov. Fred Hall and a split Republican Legislature. There is a certain ring of familiarity there.

It's significant to note that the Legislature of 1961 did work hard and ended up passing the ill-fated reapportionment of the Legislature, which was the subject of an historic amount of litigation, findings of unconstitutionality, a special session and claims of judicial activism. Few at the time could see the problem with having all 105 counties guaranteed a representative in the House with the remaining 20 distributed among counties having the greater population! As we approach the task of redistricting later this year, those of us living west of Highway 81 will no doubt long for the good old days!

As I look to the days and weeks ahead I see a glass half full, not half empty. We have been burdened with yet another huge financial challenge. I have made no secret of my disappointment over how that challenge has been addressed the past two years. However, our constituents have handed us a huge opportunity to fundamentally change the way we approach the budget and the financial challenges we face. The message of November could not have been any clearer. Our constituents, the taxpayers of this state, are watching us and counting on us.

As I said to this body on this day two years ago, we must get a handle on state spending. We must be fiscally responsible - and we must position Kansas to be in the best possible competitive position for future economic growth. And I repeat: Having a system of education second to none will ring hollow if our children choose to leave Kansas for greener pastures elsewhere. Kansas is the best place to live. It must also be the best place to work.

To that end, I excited to be working again with our new Governor Sam Brownback. I believe we are due for a permanent reset of state government and I have endeavored to put together a team of committees and committee leaders to help him accomplish this.

I, too, am excited to be working with a huge class of incoming House members who are bright, talented and energetic to do the People's work in the People's House. Welcome to the experience of a lifetime. You will make history here. You will make lifelong friendships here. You will learn and grow here and you and our great state will be better because of your service.

As I stated two years ago, we won't have the funds or resources to solve every problem or meet every request, but each of you does have the power to make a positive difference in the lives of those you serve and the work we do here with the resources we have and the policy we make with the resources we have will be truly historic. When our work here is done, if we can say we have been good stewards of our resources, we will have served our constituents well.

I'll close by sharing the final words of Speaker Buchman's address to the House in 1911. He said:

"I promise you, upon my part, that I will try to get measures through as rapidly as possible. I promise you that I will tread on your toes sometimes. You need not expect but what maybe you will find the gavel of the speaker coming down on you pretty hard, but it will come down on one and all without regard; you all look alike to me up here. I am a good ways off, and I have to wear glasses when I want to see right good, but I am not going to wear these glasses much, so that you will all look alike. Now, with your assistance, we can make this a success; without your assistance we cannot. I ask for that success."

Again, that you for the honor of being your Speaker. I'll wear my glasses, try not to step on toes, and will always have my door open and the coffee on. I look forward to serving with each and every one of you. God bless this House and the great State of Kansas.

Speaker O'Neal's Remarks to the House of Representatives 2010

Speaker O'Neal addressed the following remarks to the House after his swearing-in.

As a long time student and admirer of the legislative process, it's such an honor to be given the opportunity to lead this great body for the next term. Thank you. It's hard to believe that this session marks my silver anniversary serving in these hallowed halls. I owe special thanks to my incredible wife, Cindy, whose confidence that I would ultimately succeed in this endeavor never wavered. Thanks too, to our special kids, Haley and Austin, for patiently putting up with their legislative Dad all these years. I began my service here before they were born and they'll graduate from KU before I'm finished here. I hope they're even half as proud of me as I am of them.

I don't need to remind anyone here today of the unprecedented challenges we face over the next two years. We're at the height of the physical disruption occasioned by our commitment to restore and preserve our State Capital. At the same time, we're facing a huge and daunting budget deficit that will take all of our collective will, wisdom and resources to resolve. As we begin this new term, we welcome to our legislative family a great class of newly elected members. The election "honeymoon" is over. I'm sure you're eager to get to work! Welcome back, as well, our returning veterans from both sides of the aisle. Thank you all for offering yourselves up for public service. Henry Ford once remarked that: "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." So, it's not enough that we have gathered here today and have jointly taken our respective oaths of office. Exciting as today is, it's only a beginning. We must pledge to stay together, through the thick and thin of the session, and, more importantly, work together to achieve what our constituents sent us here to do. If we keep our noses to the grindstone and our eyes on the horizon, we'll get through this challenging time and Kansas will be better for it.

We were duly elected to these House seats, but we don't own them. They are not ours. These are seats we hold in trust. This is the People's House. We are the People's Representatives. We are, without a doubt, a special and select group. After all, we're only 125 of over 2.8 million Kansans who have the unique distinction of serving in this beautiful Chamber. But, don't ever forget; this House was here long before us and will survive long after we're gone. Over 5000 House members have served here since statehood (most days Representatives Pottorff, Carl Holmes, Neufeld and I feel like we've served with at least half of them). So, in the context of Kansas history our time here is pretty short, but make no mistake, what we do here this term will have a profound effect on the future of our great State. Our constituents are counting on us to put our respective differences aside and pull together to right the ship of state. In that regard I look forward to working with Minority Leader Davis, whom I've particularly enjoyed working with on the Judiciary Committee in the past and for whom I have great respect.

It's worth repeating Albert Einstein's famous warning: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." We have been burdened with a huge financial challenge. But, on the other hand, we've been handed a huge opportunity to fundamentally change the way we approach the budget and the financial challenges we face. To that end, we have put together a mix of committees, committee leadership and committee membership that is well suited to attack the problems we face and approach these problems like we never have before. Our constituents, our Kansas taxpayers, are watching us. They're counting on us. They have placed their trust in us to do right by them.

We must get a handle on state spending. We must be fiscally responsible. And, we must put Kansas in the best possible competitive position for future economic growth. Having a system of education second to none will ring hollow if our children choose to leave Kansas for greener pastures elsewhere. Kansas is the best place to live. It must also be the best place to work.

As your leader this term I promise not to lead in a vacuum, nor will I try to micromanage the agenda. Teddy Roosevelt said it best: "The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it." A wise man has many counselors and I will seek counsel from all corners and from both sides of the aisle. And, as Harry Truman once observed: "It's amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

Between the coming together as a body and the working together as a body come civility, collegiality and mutual respect. Make it your resolution for this term to get to know your colleagues personally. With the ones you already know, or think you know, get to know them better. Take time to walk a mile in their shoes. We come from all corners of the state and all walks of life. We bring a host of life and work experiences, both good and bad, to the legislative process. We devote ourselves to this part-time legislature by sacrificing time with our families and at our regular jobs to come to Topeka and do the Peoples' work and then return to our homes and communities to live along side our neighbors with the decisions we made during the session. Respect each other as colleagues of this honorable and noble institution. When we disagree, let's not be disagreeable.

I want everyone in this room to look back on this experience with pride and a sense of satisfaction that, whatever the outcome, you served your constituents and your state with integrity and served alongside fellow colleagues with respect. Some of your greatest memories will be from your days here. Some of your best friends will be made here. Enjoy the experience and, then, pay it forward. We don't have the funds or resources to solve every problem but each of you does have the power to make a difference in the lives of those you serve, young and old alike. Embrace the sentiment of Coach John Wooden that: "You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

It's a privilege serving with you and it will be a special honor serving as your Speaker.

Thank you again. God Bless you all and God Bless this House.