Many legislative bodies employ student pages as assistants to members of the legislature during session. Legislative pages are
secondary school or
university students who are unpaid or receive modest
stipends. They serve for periods of time ranging from one week to one year, depending on the program. They typically perform small tasks such as running errands, delivering coffee, answering telephones, or assisting a speaker with visual aids. Students typically participate primarily for the work-experience benefits. The following examples illustrate the range of legislative page programs: ;Canada • The
Canadian House of Commons Page Program for Pages to the lower chamber of the
Canadian House of Commons in the
Parliament of the Dominion of Canada, meeting in the federal
capital city of
Ottawa, Ontario, employs part-time first-year university students who work roughly 15 hours a week and are paid approximately $12,000 (CDN) for a one-year term. They perform both ceremonial and administrative duties and participate in enrichment activities such as meetings with MPs and government leaders. They also meet with student groups to explain the workings of the
House of Commons and their duties as Pages. The
Canadian Senate Page Program for the Parliament's upper chamber of the
Senate of Canada is similar. • The
Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the
Province of Ontario,which meets in the
Ontario Legislative Building in the provincial
capital city of
Toronto, employs
7th and
8th grade students for periods of two to six weeks during the legislative sessions. Participants must be high-achieving students who take leaves of absence from their schools while they serve as pages. Duties of pages include acting as messengers in the legislative chamber, taking water to MPPs, and picking up key documents (bills, petitions, motions, reports by committee). They also have opportunities to learn about provincial government and the lawmaking process. • The
Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the
Province of Alberta, meeting in the
Alberta Legislative Building in their provincial
capital city of
Edmonton, employs
high school and first-year university students, as a part-time job. Pages must demonstrate strong academic standing, have work experience and participate in extracurricular activities, and be able to commit to a job. Some duties of pages include distributing materials within the provincial legislature, supporting public events such as
Family Day and
Canada Day (July 1, 1867), and participating in development seminars. ;United States • Both houses of the
United States Congress in the
United States Capitol at
Washington, D.C. have or formerly had longtime formal page programs for almost two centuries. The lower chamber of the
House of Representatives pages program had ended in 2011 after 185 years (since 1827/1839), because of some
controversial scandals. But the
Senate Page program for the upper chamber of the
United States Senate still continues since 1829 (expanded in 1971, to include girls), with a reorganized / renovated
Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence dormitory, located several blocks northeast of the
United States Capitol, near the adjacent
Hart Senate Office Building; pages are
high school juniors from throughout the country. The application process is very competitive. Pages serve for periods of several weeks during the summer or for a full school semester during Senate legislative term. They live in dormitories near the Capitol and attend special schools for pages, but are always present on the Senate and previously House of Representatives floor during congressional sessions to assist the proceedings and legislators as needed. • In the
Virginia General Assembly (
state legislature) at the
Virginia State Capitol in
Richmond, the pages are young males and females ranging in age from 13 to 15. They assist Senators and Delegates with deliveries and errands. • The
Nebraska Legislature at the
Nebraska State Capitol in
Lincoln has a page program, in which college students assist Senators and legislative staff with various deliveries and errands. The selection process includes an application and interview, with competitive candidates presenting a letter of recommendation from a member of the Legislature. Pages are employed by the Clerk of the Legislature, and often receive course credit for participating. • The
South Dakota State Legislature at the
South Dakota State Capitol in
Pierre, South Dakota has a page program open to juniors and seniors in high school with seniors being preferred. Pages are appointed to serve in the
South Dakota House of Representatives or the
South Dakota Senate for four to nine days during one of the five term periods available. In order to be appointed students must fill out an application with a signature from a legislative sponsor. The presiding officer of each choose their respective pages based on the application. Once select pages man phones, run errands for legislators, sit in on committees and session, and get a chance to meet the
South Dakota State Governor and a special tour of the Capitol Building. Pages are paid $55 per day and are overseen officially by the presiding officer of the houses with the Page Advisor overseeing daily work. • ==See also==