United States Senate Page
Encyclopedia
A United States Senate Page (Senate Page or simply Page) is a non-partisan federal employee serving the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 in Washington, DC. Despite the non-partisan affiliation, Pages are typically divided to serve the party that appointed them.

Selection

In order to become a US Senate Page, one must first be nominated by a Senator, generally from his or her State. A candidate must be a 16 or 17 year-old high school junior (11th grade), with at least a 3.0 GPA. Summer pages can be either incoming or outgoing juniors and still have a GPA requirement of a 3.0. Processes for selection vary from senator to senator. Typically, a senator's office will require the applicant submit a transcript, resume, and various essays. The process is similar to that of selecting an office employee, and may include interview of final applicants by a board of review.

Students can apply for appointment to one of four terms: a five-month Fall semester (September-January), a five-month Spring semester (February-June), a three or four week June session, and a three or four week July session.

During the school year, there are up to 30 Pages. The majority appoints up to 16, while the minority appoints up to 14.

Uniform and appearance

Because US Senate Pages are required to wear uniforms while on the job, they are some of the most recognized employees of the Senate. The uniform consists of a navy blue suit, a white, long sleeve, traditional dress shirt, a name badge, Page insignia lapel pin, and a plain, navy tie (males only).

As expected of most Senate employees, Pages are especially required to maintain a neat, professional appearance. Boys must be clean-shaven with hair kept short and neat. Girls must also have their hair neat and kept out of their face. No extraneous jewelry is to be worn.

Residence and free time

US Senate Pages currently reside at the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence
Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence
The Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence, also known as "Webster Hall", is the residence of current senate pages and is a former funeral home . The building underwent a $8 million refurbishment in 1995, converting it to its current state. It is located near the Hart Senate Office Building, giving...

. This facility was previously a funeral home and was reconfigured in order to provide Pages with a home away from home during their time in Washington. Administration and staff include the Page Program Director, Administrative Assistant, four resident Proctor
Proctor
Proctor, a variant of the word procurator, is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The word proctor is frequently used to describe someone who oversees an exam or dormitory.The title is used in England in three principal senses:...

s, and one non-resident Proctor.

The living quarters cover two floors, one for male Pages, the other for female Pages. Each floor has a day room for social activity. All Pages share furnished rooms with other Pages and each room is designed for four or six occupants. Each room has closet space, a bathroom, and a single telephone. The Senate Page School, laundry facilities and a kitchen are located on the basement level.

The program provides the pages with two meals per day, seven days per week. Breakfast is provided at the residence. Lunch is provided on weekdays through a meal card at the Senate Cafeterias. On Saturdays, lunch or dinner is usually provided through a voucher for a meal at Union Station
Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
Washington Union Station is a train station and leisure destination visited by 32 million people each year in the center of Washington, D.C. The train station is served by Amtrak, MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail services as well as by Washington Metro subway trains and local buses...

, or if the Pages are on a field trip, lunch or dinner will be provided on the trip. On Sundays, the program provides dinner at the residence, or goes out to a restaurant.
The United States Capitol Police
United States Capitol Police
The United States Capitol Police is a federal police force charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories.-History:...

 maintains a 24-hour post at Webster Hall as well as outside foot and car patrols. Their responsibility is to provide security for the facility and its occupants and to monitor access to the building. Webster Hall is monitored by a security alarm system.

When not at school or at work, Pages are given much liberty with their free time. Pages are subject to a curfew (generally 9:00 p.m. on school nights and 10:00 p.m. during the weekend) and are expected to maintain high standards. While Pages are not permitted to bring personal vehicles with them to the District of Columbia, they are encouraged to use the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including the Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess...

 (WMATA).

On occasional weekends, free from school or work obligations, Pages spend their time working on school assignments, touring the many attractions in the DC area or simply relaxing from a long week's work. For holidays, Pages return home for Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks; the residence is closed during these periods.

The Senate Sergeant at Arms is responsible for Webster Hall.

Before the move to Webster Hall, both the House and Senate Pages shared a living space in the former House Office Building Annex #1 (which has since been torn down).

School

US Senate Pages (who serve during either of the semester programs) attend school located in the lower level of Webster Hall. The US Senate Page School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
The Page School requires each student to enroll in four classes, in the various subjects of mathematics, science, English, and social studies. Foreign language tutoring is available for nearly every language. Usually the students receive 3 to 4 hours of homework each night. If they do not maintain at least a 75% average in each class, they are subject to dismissal.

Each week day, classes begin at precisely 6:15 a.m.. Class length varies, depending upon the daily schedule of the Senate. Generally, school ends one hour and 15 minutes before the Senate convenes. If the Senate does not convene, or not before 11:00 a.m., school ends at 9:45. It is possible to have classes as short as 20 minutes, or no classes at all. This is affected by what time the Senate convenes or what time it adjourned the previous day.

The Page school supervises Student Government and the preparation of a yearbook. It also administers Page class rings, which have the Senate emblem and session of the Congress in place of a typical high school's mascot.

Pages are also required to participate in school field trips. Run by the Senate Page School, they are conducted approximately one Saturday a month to sites in or around Washington. These field trips are usually at historically oriented landmarks in the mid-Atlantic area (i.e. Liberty Bell, Philadelphia; DuPont Mills, Delaware; etc.)

Nancy Erickson
Nancy Erickson
Nancy Erickson is the current Secretary of the United States Senate. She began her term as Secretary on January 4, 2007 in the 110th Congress. Erickson was appointed by Democratic and Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Prior to serving as Secretary of the Senate, Erickson served as the...

, The Secretary of the Senate, is responsible for the United States Senate Page School.

Prior to the page residence being moved to Webster Hall, the US Senate Page School was housed in the attic of the Library of Congress.

Commuter Pages

During the summer sessions only, many pages live in either their homes or the homes of their relatives in the Washington, D.C. area. These pages fulfill the same duties as the residential summer pages, except that they arrive at 8:00AM and depart at 6:00PM regardless of the action of the Senate that day (residential pages are required to stay until after the Senate adjourns for the day). Commuter pages are allowed to participate in field trips with the other pages.

Work

The Page's work life revolves around the Capitol. A Page serves the party of his/her/their appointing Senator. Pages are employed by the Sergeant at Arms. The supervision of the Pages at work has been delegated to the cloakrooms.

Senate Pages play an important role in the daily operation of the Senate. Page duties consist primarily of delivery of correspondence and legislative material within the Capitol Complex. Other duties include preparing the Senate Chamber for sessions, taking messages for Senators or calling them to the phone, and carrying bills and amendments from the presiding officer's desk. Pages also retrieve lecterns, easels, and water for Senators and clerks.

When the Senate is in session for important business, filibusters, and emergency situations, Pages are required to work into the early hours of the morning.

When the Senate is not in session, Pages work from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. Pages are compensated $25,605 per annum, from which are deducted federal and local (based upon the individual page's permanent residence) taxes and a $780 per month residence fee.

Benefits

The job of page comes with many perks. These include, but are not limited to:
  • Watching the political action up close.
  • Access to most areas of the Capitol (such as the Senate Chamber, Marble Room, cloakrooms, and Senate lobby), a perk that many other Senate employees don't have.
  • Boarding on Capitol Hill with teenagers from all around the country.
  • A chance to watch joint sessions of Congress, as well as the State of the Union Address
    State of the Union Address
    The State of the Union is an annual address presented by the President of the United States to the United States Congress. The address not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows the president to outline his legislative agenda and his national priorities.The practice arises...

    .
  • The opportunity to make use of the Library of Congress
    Library of Congress
    The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...

    , United States Senate Library
    United States Senate Library
    The United States Senate Library is the library of the United States Senate.The United States Senate Librarian manages the Senate Library, which is under the supervision of the Office of the Secretary of the United States Senate. Leona I. Faust has been the Senate Librarian since 2009...

    , and other facilities in the Capitol.
  • A chance to tour and see much of what Washington, DC as well as surrounding areas and states have to offer.

Notable Former Senate Pages

  • *Amy Carter
    Amy Carter
    Amy Lynn Carter is the fourth child and only daughter of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. She entered the limelight as she lived as a child in the White House during the Carter presidency.-Early life:...

  • Hannah Pingree
    Hannah Pingree
    Hannah M. Pingree is a Democratic politician from the State of Maine and daughter of Maine politician Chellie Pingree. She served four terms in the State Legislature including one as Speaker of the House before being forced to leave office by state term limits. In the Legislature she represented...

    , 1992 (later, Speaker, Maine House of Representatives, 2008 - )
  • Anderson, Donnald - Clerk of the House 1987-1995
  • Dan Boren
    Dan Boren
    Daniel David "Dan" Boren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. The district includes most of the eastern part of the state outside of Tulsa...

     - Summer 1989 (later U.S. Congressman)
  • Thomas M. Davis
    Thomas M. Davis
    Thomas Milburn "Tom" Davis III was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Virginia's 11th congressional district in Northern Virginia. Davis was considering a run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by five-term incumbent and fellow Republican John...

    , 1963-1967 - (later U.S. Congressman)
  • Christopher Dodd
    Christopher Dodd
    Christopher John "Chris" Dodd is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut for a thirty-year period ending with the 111th United States Congress....

     (later a Senator, D-CT)
  • Jim Kolbe
    Jim Kolbe
    James Thomas "Jim" Kolbe is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Arizona's 8th congressional district, serving 11 terms from 1985 to 2007.-Early life:...

     (later a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, R-AZ)
  • Mark Pryor
    Mark Pryor
    Mark Lunsford Pryor is the senior United States Senator from Arkansas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and former Attorney General of Arkansas....

     (later a Senator, D-AR)
  • Spiro Agnew
    Spiro Agnew
    Spiro Theodore Agnew was the 39th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Richard Nixon, and the 55th Governor of Maryland...

     (later a Vice President)
  • Mike Lee (later a Senator, R-UT)

See also

  • United States House of Representatives Page
    United States House of Representatives Page
    United States House of Representatives Page Program was a program run by the United States House of Representatives, under the office of the Clerk of the House, in which appointed high school juniors acted as non-partisan federal employees in the House of Representatives, providing supplemental...

  • Canadian Senate Page Program
    Canadian Senate Page Program
    Each year, 15 individuals are chosen from hundreds of youth through a national competition to work as a Page for the Senate of Canada. Pages are primarily responsible for assisting Senators and table officers throughout sittings of the Senate by fulfilling various requests as well as those of...

  • Canadian House of Commons Page Program
    Canadian House of Commons Page Program
    A House of Commons Page is a non-partisan employee of the Canadian House of Commons. They perform both ceremonial and administrative duties including:* Participation in the Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons' Parade and Royal Assent...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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