James Earl "Pete" Laney (born March 20, 1943) is an American former politician of the Democratic Party. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1973 to 2007. A resident of Hale Center, Texas, Laney served as House Speaker from 1993 to 2003. As of 2022, Laney is the most recent Democrat to serve as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.