Womack sets record in Congress

WASHINGTON — It’s an attendance record few lawmakers can match.

Since joining the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2011, 3rd District U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers has been summoned for 3,558 votes, and he’s shown up every time.

He’s one of a handful of veteran lawmakers with perfect vote-attendance records, according to Gov-Track.us, a website that tracks those numbers.

Only one other member of the House has shown up that consistently for that long, never missing a vote since arriving on Capitol Hill — U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., who matches Womack in number of votes made.

Susan Collins, R-Maine, has the longest perfect run in the U.S. Senate. Since arriving on Capitol Hill in January 1997, she has been on hand for 6,081 consecutive votes.

The median House member has missed 2.2 percent of votes since arriving at Capitol Hill. The median senator is absent for 1.7 percent of the tallies, according to GovTrack.us. Many of the votes are procedural.

Last month, Womack, a Republican and former Rogers mayor, surpassed the fiveyear mark without a single missed vote.

“I’m proud of that. I was elected to show up every day and vote, and I do,” Womack said. “But I will be the first to admit that part of that record stems from the fact that I’ve not had a personal hardship or tragedy that would have precluded me from being in Washington, and I’m grateful for that.”

Womack lost his mother-in-law, Deanie Williams, on Feb. 17, 2013, but she died when the House was out of session, so he was able to mourn her passing and attend her funeral without missing a vote.

Sooner or later, Womack will probably be called away and the votes will go on without him.

“I can’t predict when,” he said, “but the fact is, for the first five years of my time in Congress, I’ve been where I’m supposed to be and voted when I was called to vote, so I consider that a very important part of my job, obviously.”

Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, who represented the 2nd District in Congress for two terms, called Womack’s string of votes “extraordinary,” saying it demonstrates dedication and commitment.

“I can’t imagine many others sharing that achievement. One delayed flight, one sickness etc. just one and that record is gone,” Griffin said in a text message. “It is remarkable and worthy of praise.”

Foul weather and airline cancellations haven’t jeopardized Womack’s record.

He travels to Washington, the day before votes are scheduled instead of returning the same day.

“I don’t like to be put in a situation where I’m having to rush to get off an airplane to get back to Capitol Hill. I like to get back and get my feet back on the ground and be prepared for the day’s work,” he said.

That approach isn’t shared by everyone, Womack said, noting some of his colleagues have spartan dwelling places in Washington.

“For those people that live in their office, that’s not something that they put a premium on because it’s another day they have to sleep on an air mattress or a cot. I’ve got a place in Alexandria, (Va.,) so when I come back, I’m heading over to my condo where I sleep,” he said.

Of the five other Republicans who make up the Arkansas delegation:

• U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Dardanelle missed 1.1 percent of the votes in that chamber in his first year.

• U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Rogers, who spent time recovering from emergency heart surgery in 2014, wasn’t on hand for 5.5 percent of the Senate’s tallies over a fiveyear period.

• 1st District U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro missed 3.8 percent of votes in his first five years.

• 2nd District U.S. Rep. French Hill of Little Rock missed one vote, or 0.1 percent of votes, in his first year.

• 4th District U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs missed 0.4 percent of votes in his first year.

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