... Paul Hollis cleared the final hurdle to become director of the U.S. Mint when the U.S. Senate approved 97 nominees at one time Thursday night.

The Senate voted 53-43 to confirm President Donald Trump's nominees shortly before closing down for 2025. The Senate returns to Capitol Hill in January after the holidays.

The Senate used a special procedure that expedites confirmation by taking a single vote on a large number of nominees, said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor who closely follows judicial nominations. Thursday night's group had 97 nominees, another group in September had 48 and more than 90 were included in a group approved in October.

A lifelong coin collector, Hollis, of Covington, represents St. Tammany Parish and parts of Jefferson and Orleans parishes on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. He was a Republican member of the state House of Representatives between 2012 and 2024.

A bureau in the U.S. Treasury, the U.S. Mint makes nickels, dimes, quarters, and half dollars - but no longer pennies - at four facilities around the nation. Hollis also now becomes responsible for the nation's gold reserves held in Fort Knox.

He is the son of the late state Sen. Ken Hollis, R-Covington.

Hollis recalls that as a 7-year-old, his grandmother gave him a coin she had saved since the Great Depression in the 1930s. He keeps the coin in his pocket for major life milestones and brought it to Washington when he testified before U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in October.

"Our nation's coinage is far more than just metal; our coins encapsulate America's history. Every coin carries with it a thoughtfully crafted design that is rooted in our shared heritage," Hollis said. "Over the past 30 years, I have built a respected career in numismatics, served 14 years in elected public office, and published a book on the history of U.S. coinage."

To read the complete article, see:
Trump nominees David Courcelle and Paul Hollis confirmed by Senate(https://www.nola.com/news/politics/national_politics/trump-nominees-david-courcelle-and-paul-hollis-confirmed/article_97850fe1-2b59-4641-93e4-10d6731ac7b0.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
PAUL HOLLIS NOMINATED FOR U.S. MINT DIRECTOR(https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n29a18.html)
MINT'S DIRECTOR NOMINEE PAUL HOLLIS TESTIFIES(https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n44a14.html)