Hays joined the House in 1966 and became Republican reading clerk in 1988 at the nomination of Minority Leader Robert H. Michel of Illinois.

His parents met while at George Washington University, his father a native of Mississippi, and his mother a transplant from Kansas.

Hays's aunt taught at the Capitol Page School for many years.

Hays's Democratic counterpart was Mary Kevin Niland, who remained a reading clerk until 2008.

This biography of a person who has held a non-elected position in the federal government of the United States is a stub.