Todd Huston was named speaker-elect Monday during a House Republican caucus meeting at the State House, two weeks after Speaker Brian Bosma announced his plans to resign.
Huston will serve as speaker-elect during most of the 2020 legislative session until being sworn in as speaker near the end of the short session in mid-March.
Bosma, who announced on Organization Day that he’ll resign his House seat in May to become national chair of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, is the longest-serving speaker in Indiana history, having held the gavel in the 2005 and 2006 sessions and from the 2011 session to today.
Huston was first elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 2012, the same year Republicans first gained a supermajority in the chamber. He initially served on the House Education Committee but later left that panel to devote more time to fiscal policy and the state budget. He served as co-chair of the House Ways and Means Committee in 2019 but will give up that post, although he will remain a member of the committee. He has also been closely identified with workforce development and gaming legislation.
Speaker-elect Huston graduated from Hamilton Southeastern High School in 1990 and received a B.S. in Political Science from Indiana University.
He was appointed by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2005 to a four-year term on the Indiana State Board of Education, where he played a lead role in fulfilling the Governor’s campaign promise to switch the ISTEP exam from the Fall to the Spring. Huston also served on the Indiana Education Roundtable and as the inaugural chair of the Indiana Charter School Board.
He is a former treasurer for the State Republican Party. He served as chief of staff for State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett in 2009 and 2010, helping to push a series of education reforms that upset the status quo.
He is currently senior vice president for state and district partnerships at the College Board and is a former director of business operations for Komputrol and also previously worked for Cisco Systems.
Huston previously served on the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Board of School Trustees, Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation Board of Directors, and Fishers Planning Commission.
His selection as the next speaker was unanimous.
“Todd is an invaluable member of our team and a respected leader, and I’m excited for him to take the reins and continue building on Indiana’s success story,” said Speaker Bosma on Monday. “Whether it’s serving as a tough budget hawk or finding common ground among differing viewpoints, he’s been a reliable, go-to legislator for our caucus time and time again. I firmly believe he will take hold of this opportunity with both hands, and bring the vision and energy needed to help keep Indiana on the right track.”
Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray praised House Republicans for the “great choice.” In a statement, Bray said Huston is “a dedicated public servant with vision and integrity.”
Declaring Huston “a strong leader” and “home run pick,” Gov. Eric Holcomb said, “Having a year to learn from Speaker Bosma will prove invaluable.”
Bosma and Huston represent adjoining House districts on the northeastside of Indianapolis. Bosma won re-election in 2018 with 55.5% of the vote, while Huston prevailed with 54.5% support. Among victorious House Republicans, only four won with a smaller share of the vote total than Huston: Cindy Kirchhofer (50.5%), Dale Devon (51.0%), Ed Soliday (53.5%), and Martin Carbaugh (53.7%).