WASHINGTON (July 21, 2006) -  Congressman Bobby L. Rush announced today that Blair Matthews of Midlothian, Illinois has been selected as his sponsored congressional page for the First Congressional District.

 Blair Matthews currently attends Mount Carmel High School, and will be a junior in the Fall of 2006. 

 Pages are young people who are hired to serve as support staff for the U.S. House of Representatives.  They are students in their junior year of high school, who come to Washington, D.C. to live, work and study as Pages.

Students applying for the academic must have at least a 3.0 G.P.A. to be eligible for the House Page Program. All potential pages/students must be sponsored by a Member of Congress.

Pages are selected through the Offices of the House Minority Leader, and the Speaker of the House. They act as employees of the House of Representatives.  Pages get the unique opportunity to interact with congressional staff, members of Congress, presidential appointees, and heads of State.  Other duties include handling legislative materials, and preparing the U.S. House of Representatives Floor for legislative sessions.   Pages are supervised by full-time adult employees, and report to the House after classes and work until 5 PM or when the House of Representatives adjourns for the day, whichever is later.