- Paul Hays
Paul Hays was one of two
reading clerks of the United States House of Representatives , a face familiar to viewers ofC-SPAN , the network which covers House proceedings. The reading clerk reads bills, motions, and other papers before the House and keeps track of changes to legislation made on the floor. During the vote for Speaker at the beginning of each Congress, or when the electronic voting system fails, the clerk calls the roll of members for voting "viva voce ". Hays joined the House in 1966 and became Republican reading clerk in 1988 at the nomination of Minority LeaderRobert H. Michel of Illinois. Bald and bespectacled, he read the articles ofimpeachment laid against PresidentBill Clinton in 1998. Hays started his career in Washington as a Supreme Court Page. He attended theCapital Page School while he was a Page. Hays's aunt taught at theCapitol Page School for many years. Hays's Democratic counterpart wasMary Kevin Niland , who remains a reading clerk.Paul Hays retired as Reading Clerk on
April 30 ,2007 . The House met in apro forma session that day therefore the last day Hays assisted in legislative business wasApril 26 .External links
* [http://www.c-span.org/questions/weekly71.asp C-SPAN on the reading clerk, with photo of Hays]
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