House Speaker Todd Richardson resigned and Elijah Haahr was sworn in Thursday as his successor in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, resigned after accepting the role of director of the MO HealthNet Division of the Missouri Department of Social Services.
Richardson, who could not seek re-election because of term limits, is to begin the new post today.
According to the National Conference on State Legislators, Haahr, R-Springfield, at age 36 is the youngest speaker in the country.
He was first elected to the House in 2012 and has served as speaker pro tem for the past two years.
Haahr has pursued conservative policies, according to a House news release. In the last session, he sponsored the single largest one-year income tax cut in state history, according to the release.