Missouri House members have chosen Republican Tim Jones of St. Louis County as their speaker for the next few months.
Jones is currently the chamber's majority leader. His selection Wednesday fills the vacancy created when Speaker Steven Tilley resigned from the House in August to work as a paid consultant.
House members will decide in January whether to keep Jones for two more years as speaker.
Jones said Wednesday he wants to encourage job creation by streamlining government, offering tax relief and paring back government regulations. He also wants to focus on energy independence and education policy.
