House clerk a steady presence in speaker fight

(6 Jan 2023) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4413923 ++MUSIC CLEARED FOR EDITORIAL USE++ POOL Washington – 6 January 2022 1. Mid of House Clerk Cheryl Johnson hammering the gavel POOL Washington – 5 January 2022 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. French Hill, (R) Arkansas: "First let me express my deep appreciation, the appreciation of everybody in this room, for the work you're doing Madam Clerk." 3. Wide various of House members applauding ANNOTATION: House clerk Cheryl Johnson was the driving force behind a history-making week in Congress during the marathon House leadership vote. 4. Cheryl Johnson smiling from the podium POOL Washington – 6 January 2022 5. Wide of Cheryl Johnson hammering the gavel ANNOTATION: The clerk is tasked with calling each day's session to order, calling the roll and deciding procedural questions that may arise. POOL Washington – 5 January 2022 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Cheryl Johnson, House Clerk: "The clerk has the responsibility to preserve order and decorum in the chamber prior to the election of a speaker." POOL Washington – 6 January 2022 7. Birdseye view of the House floor during voting ANNOTATION: After there's a speaker in place, the clerk's role becomes more procedural. ANNOTATION: The clerk also acts as a go-between for the House and the Senate, as well as the White House, when the chamber isn't in session. 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Cheryl Johnson, House Clerk: "Members are reminded not to engage in personalities against other members of the House." ANNOTATION: The clerk is a  employee of Congress and is elected every two years when the House organizes for a new session. 9. Wide of Cheryl Johnson talking with House members ANNOTATION: Johnson, a New Orleans native, has worked for the House for nearly two decades and is the 36th person to be clerk. POOL Washington – 4 January 2022 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Cheryl Johnson, House Clerk: "No member elect, having received the majority of the votes cast, a speaker has not been elected." ANNOTATION: Johnson got her law degree from Howard University and graduated from the senior management program at Harvard University. STORYLINE: The extended drama over picking the next House speaker has put the normally understated position of House clerk in the spotlight. Cheryl Johnson, the 36th person to serve as clerk. Round by round, she has called for the start of each vote and has announced at the end that, once again, no speaker has been elected. Until a speaker is chosen, and the members-elect are officially sworn in, the clerk is in charge of the chamber, tasked with calling each day's session to order, calling the roll and deciding procedural questions that may arise. It's also up to the clerk to maintain order in the House chamber, which at times has involved using her gavel to tamp down a dull roar of chatter during the debate. A New Orleans native, Johnson has worked for the House for nearly two decades, serving as chief investigative counsel and spokesperson for the Committee on Education and the Workforce. She was also counsel for the committee with oversight over the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution, where she worked for 10 years liaising with congressional committees with jurisdiction over its funding. Her rising stature was best illustrated by a flub on the second day of voting, when a Republican standing up to speak inadvertently addressed her as "Madam speaker." =========================================================== Clients are reminded: Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/2acfb9e25b734cda8d91ee3d1e6353a6