U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, a Republican from Maine’s 2nd District, presided over the House of Representatives on Friday, gaining the freshman the title of “Mr. Speaker,” if only for a short time.
Poliquin took over just before 11:30 a.m. for about an hour, which can be seen at C-SPAN. It’s a common ritual for first-time lawmakers of the majority party, who are usually put there when there isn’t much legislating going on, according to a 2013 story by the McClatchy newspapers:
“They are given the gavel during low-pressure periods of the legislative day such as morning business, when members line up and deliver one-minute speeches to a largely empty House chamber. Those who pass muster are slowly worked into presiding rotation and given more challenging assignments.”
That’s what happened with Poliquin on Friday: Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Indiana, gave a rare neurogenetic disorder and Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Georgia, eulogized a constituent.
But things went smoothly on the floor, so we might see more of Poliquin in the future.
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