Senate Golden Gavel awarded to Boozman for time at helm

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., was awarded a Golden Gavel last week after presiding over the Senate for 100 hours during the 116th Congress.

U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, conferred the honor, which was presented to Boozman in front of his Republican colleagues.

“It’s a nice thing, and there’s not a whole lot of people that have these so that’s a good thing,” the lawmaker from Rogers said in an interview.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., received a Golden Gavel in 2016.

In a speech after U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., reached the 100-hour mark, McConnell reflected on the award and the work leading up to it.

“Presiding over the Senate may not seem the most glamorous job around here to some people, but it is an important one. You learn a lot about procedure, you learn a lot about your colleagues, and because the use of electronic devices is prohibited, you rediscover the lost art of communicating with a pen and a piece of paper. I think we could all stand to benefit from that kind of practice,” McConnell said.

The job of presiding over the Senate, until the early 1950s, was typically performed by the vice president, who serves as president of the Senate, pursuant to the Constitution.

In his absence, the president pro tempore or his representative wields the gavel.

Often, that means listening to a string of speeches, delivered by a string of lawmakers in a near-empty chamber.

Only senators from the majority party are tapped for the position, and freshman members usually carry most of the load.

To reward members who put in extra hours, the Senate invented the Golden Gavel award in the 1960s.

Lawmakers receive the Golden Gavel, which is made of brass, if they reach the 100-hour milestone during a single two-year Congress.

Boozman was a member of the minority party when he was elected to the Senate in 2010, so he wasn’t called upon to perform the task during his first four years in office.

After Republicans took control, Boozman made it his goal to earn a Golden Gavel.

“I really decided I was going to get it done this year,” Boozman said.

Once the 116th Congress ends in January, the 100-hour clock will reset. And if Democrats retake the Senate, the window of opportunity could close altogether.

Given the uncertainty surrounding this year’s calendar, Boozman did not wait until the last minute to complete the task. He grabbed extra shifts when the opportunity arose.

Some were mundane; others monumental.

Boozman sat in the chair in March as the Senate wrapped up passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act.

On C-SPAN 2, the cameras captured him carefully sanitizing his hands and vigorously scrubbing the desktop with disinfectant wipes before assuming his duties.

The time in the chair is useful, Boozman said.

“It always deepens your understanding of parliamentary procedure, which is a valuable thing as you’re trying to get laws accomplished,” he said.

In addition to recognizing speakers and responding to parliamentary motions, there are, on occasion, clerical tasks.

“I had the honor of being in the chair one evening when we passed the farm bill in overwhelming votes, and they needed an official … to sign it,” Boozman said. “Normally, that would have gone to someone higher than me, but I happened to be in the chair, so I got to sign the farm bill.”

Now that he’s got the Golden Gavel, he plans to display it in his office. Eventually, he may pass it on to his children or grandchildren, he said.