Pages are students in their junior year of high school who are hired
to serve as helpers for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington,
D.C. The page program is administered by the Office of the Clerk,
pursuant to direction from the Majority and Minority leadership and
the U.S. House of Representatives Page Board. The practice of having
pages assist in Congressional operations dates back over 200 years.
Unfortunately, while there are over 400 Members of Congress, there
are only about 66 page positions available each term, so not every
Member can sponsor a page every time. All students must be sponsored
by a Member of Congress to become a page.
ELIGIBILITY:
Page eligibility is limited to juniors in high school only. All applicants must
be at least sixteen years old on the date they begin their Page term. There are
no exceptions.
Students must have at least a 3.0 GPA to be eligible for the House Page School
and all School Year Pages must attend the Page School. Candidates must submit
a home school verification of the GPA, based on the four major courses, no electives.
Limitations may arise due to the House Page School curriculum.
PAGE WORK EXPERIENCE:
Pages are employees of the House of Representatives, and the work they perform
is important. Pages work as a team and not in individual Member offices. Page
duties consist primarily of delivering correspondence, legislative material,
and small packages within the Congressional complex. Pages are also assigned
to answer phones in the Members' Cloakroom, take messages for Members, call them
to the phone if they are in the House Chamber and prepare the House Floor for
sessions. Still others monitor a telephone bank of incoming requests for page
service. A rotation system is practiced so that every page has an opportunity
to experience the various areas of service.
The work experience is supervised by full time adult employees who manage the
page work responsibilities on a daily basis. Pages sponsored by the Majority
report to the Majority Chief Page, and those sponsored by the Minority report
to the Minority Chief Page. Pages report to work after classes and work until
5:00 p.m. or when the House adjourns for the day, whichever is later.
APPOINTMENT:
Academic year pages are asked to serve at least one full semester and may be
asked to serve for two semesters. Academic semesters are considered to be Fall
and Spring and require attendance at the U.S. House of Representatives Page School.
The Summer Program starts approximately the second week of June each year with
termination determined by the legislative work schedule. This schedule also determines
whether or not there will be one or two terms of The Summer Page Program.
Appointment to the Page Program is on an at-will basis and may be terminated
at any time, with or without cause and with or without notice.
DRESS CODE:
As a page in the U.S. House of Representatives, you are expected to maintain
a neat appearance and conservative hairstyle at all times and adhere to the Page
Dress Code while working in the Capitol Complex during business hours. Dress
requirements for work and school include, for young men, navy blue wool or acrylic
jackets, dark gray slacks, a uniform tie, a white long-sleeved, permanent press
dress shirt, solid black shoes and socks. Young women wear navy blue wool or
acrylic jackets, white long-sleeved, permanent-press oxford type blouses, a uniform
tie, dark gray slacks or knee length, non-slit, dark gray skirts, solid black
shoes and nylons. Navy blue, white, or gray sweaters may be worn in the winter
months under the jacket. Usually jackets are not worn from May through Labor
Day, except when working on the House Floor. Shoes may be either a comfortable
dress style or a non-canvas low cut athletic type. Shoes must be solid black.
The uniform tie will be provided by the Clerk's Office after arrival in Washington.
Required clothing may be purchased at a department store or specialty store in
your area. Pages will be charged for any uniform tie that they request over the
one allotted.
THE HOUSE PAGE RESIDENCE HALL: Staffing and Accommodations. The Page Residence Hall is staffed by a Director
and five assistants, all of whom are adults and reside within the quarters. The
Residence Hall is located on two floors of the O'Neil House Office Building,
two blocks from the Capitol and the Library of Congress, where the page school
is located. Each room provides ample space for two or three occupants, with twin
size beds, desks, chairs, chest of drawers, and adequate closet space. Each room
has a private bath shared by the occupants and a telephone which is also shared.
Pages are responsible for providing their own twin sheets and pillow cases, towels,
pillows, hangers and any small accessories such as desk lamps, book ends and
photographs, which may make life more comfortable and pleasant.
One floor is designated for young men and the other for young women. Each floor
has a community room, study hall, and is staffed by three people. Residents are
responsible for maintenance of their personal quarters. Weekly inspections are
made by the Residence Hall staff to assure that quarters meet standards of cleanliness
and health necessary for proper group living. Free laundry facilities are provided
within the building.
Security:
Security measures include foot patrols of the building by U.S. Capitol Police,
a lobby desk manned by U.S. Capitol Police 24 hours a day, and requiring residents
and visitors to sign in after 6 PM. There are strategically placed alarm phones,
fireproof stairwells, a ceiling sprinkler system, emergency fire fighting tanks,
fire escapes, and other measures required by the District of Columbia in community
life structures.
Agreement and Costs:
A Residence Hall Agreement, delineating payment requirements, responsibility
for damage, uses of the Residence Hall, and similar pertinent matters must be
signed before taking residence.
THE HOUSE PAGE SCHOOL:
The House Page School is located in the Jefferson Building of the Library of
Congress and offers a Junior Year course of study only. The School is accredited
through Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Classes begin at 6:45
a.m. and include Mathematics, English, Social Studies, Science, French, Spanish,
Computer Technology and a Work Experience course.
To assure each pupil's participation and exposure to the unique educational and
cultural opportunities existing in this historical seat of government the Washington
Interdisciplinary Studies Program (WISP) develops field trips and hosts guest
speakers.
The courses offered in the disciplines mentioned are those typically taken by
high school juniors in a college prep program. Saturday classes are sometimes
required.
COMPENSATION AND FEES: Salary: Pages are paid at an annual rate of $17,540,
with a monthly gross salary of $1461.67, from which automatic deductions are
made for federal and state taxes, Social Security, and the Residence Hall fee.
Pages are paid on the last working day of the month, as are all House employees.
Residence Hall fees:
Page Hall residents must make an initial security deposit of $100 when checking
in, refundable within 60 days of termination, when it has been determined that
the individual is not responsible for any damage to premises or other charges.
Payment should be made by personal check, bank check, or money order made payable
to U.S. Treasury. The cost of residence life is $400 per month which includes
five breakfast and seven dinner meals per week and is automatically deducted
from the page's monthly paycheck, as mentioned above. All charges will be deducted
from the initial security deposit. However, if charges exceed the amount of the
deposit, the page will be billed for the excess amount.
Banking:
School year pages are allowed to open a House Credit Union account ($25 deposit
required) and can have their paychecks deposited directly into their account.
Summer Pages should make their own arrangements with a bank in their home town.
Spending money.
It is recommended that pages bring approximately $250 in travelers
checks to cover the expenses of the first month, such as lunch, weekend activities,
and other miscellaneous expenses.
BEFORE MAKING YOUR DECISION:
Pages are employees of the U.S. House of Representatives and an important part
of the legislative process. Before making your decision to become a page, it
is imperative that you understand that all family activities, as well as home
school and community activities, which would interrupt your page school and/or
work activities, must be put on hold until you are no longer a page. You will
not be permitted to return home to attend family reunions, parent promotion ceremonies,
family trips, home school activities such as conferences, sports events, proms,
etc., if they occur during the school or work week.
If you make plans to return home for any reason other than family illness or
scheduled deferral and school holidays, you must leave after work
on Friday and return by curfew Sunday night.
It is imperative that you and your parents understand that the House legislative
calendar is never set in stone. It changes frequently without regard to vacation
or holiday plans. Your plans and airline tickets may have to be changed or cancelled
if the House calendar dictates it. Never purchase non-refundable
tickets base
on the tentative calendar in the Page handbook. It
is a safe bet that the calendar will change.
It is our goal to make your Page experience both educational and exciting. This
can be accomplished by your understanding of what is expected of you and the
important role you play as a Page in the U.S. House of Representatives.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO APPLY:
Contact Congressman Baird's Office at (202) 225-3536 and ask for the page coordinator.
Additional information can also be found through the Office of the Clerk (http://pageprogram.house.gov/).
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