Page of the United States Senate
A United States Senate page (Senate page or simply page) is a high-school age teen serving the United States Senate in Washington, D.C. Pages are nominated by senators, usually from their home state, and perform a variety of tasks, such as delivering messages and legislative documents on the Senate floor and the various Capitol Hill offices.[1] Pages are provided housing and attend a special page school at the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence. Senate pages were first appointed in 1829. Originally limited to boys only, the Senate page program was expanded in 1971 to include girls. There are a maximum of 30 pages assigned to each Senate session, with 16 appointed by the majority party and 14 by the minority. Pages serve senators of the sponsoring senator's party.
History[edit]
The Senate Page Program dates back to 1829 when the first page was appointed by Daniel Webster. In addition to the delivery of legislative correspondence, early pages were responsible for refilling ink wells, constructing fires, cleaning spittoons, and fetching chewing tobacco.[1] In 1971, Paulette Desell, Ellen McConnell, and Julie Price became the Senate’s first female pages.[2] Until 1995, the education of Senate pages was provided by the District of Columbia public schools at a school located in the Library of Congress.[3] Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the page program was suspended on March 13, 2020 for the first time in its history until that point remaining so until September 13, 2022 when the program begun letting pages back in.[4]
Selection[edit]
To become a U.S. Senate page, one must first be nominated by a senator, generally from their state. A candidate must be a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old high school sophomore (10th grade) or rising junior (11th grade), with at least a 3.0 GPA.[5] Processes for selection vary by state and senator. Typically, a senator's office will require the applicant to submit a transcript, résumé, and various essays. The process is similar to that of selecting an office employee and may include an interview of final applicants by a board of review. The application process for the program is considered to be extremely competitive, with a high level of interest for a handful of openings.[6]
Students can apply for appointment to one of four terms: a Fall semester (September – January), a Spring semester (January – June), a three- or four-week June session, and a three- or four-week July session. If a vacancy opens during the term, the position cannot be filled until the beginning of the next session.
For each session, there are a maximum of 30 pages. The majority appoints 16, while the minority appoints 14.[7]
Uniform and appearance[edit]
Because U.S. Senate pages are required to wear uniforms while on the job, they are some of the most recognizable employees of the United States Congress. 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 (for males only). Pages are not allowed to add any decoration to their uniform, and at all times must maintain a conservative appearance. Until the 1960s, boys were required to wear knickerbockers as part of their uniform while on duty, as depicted in the 1941 film about the role of Senate pages, Adventure in Washington.[8]
As expected of most Senate employees, pages are required to maintain a neat, professional appearance. Boys must be clean-shaven with hair kept short and neat, falling above their ears. Girls must also have their hair neat and kept out of their face. No extraneous jewelry is to be worn. Pages may not wear unnatural nail polish colors or excessive makeup.
Program scrutiny[edit]
The U.S. Senate Page Program has undergone massive scrutiny throughout the years, as recounted in The Children Who Ran for Congress: A History of Congressional Pages by Darryl Gonzalez.[9] The House Page Program was shut down in 2011, following multiple sex scandals involving pages and members of Congress, though not directly attributed to it.[10]
While the Senate Page Program remained intact (although it underwent major adjustments), it is sometimes criticized as being overly patronage-based, too demanding on minors, and too isolating for its participants. Pages are not allowed to have personal cell phones during their tenure and are forbidden from accessing the internet at Webster Hall, except for educational purposes. Pages often get less than six hours of sleep a night and must maintain above an 80 percent average in rigorous courses, in addition to working sometimes over 60 hours a week at the Senate. Pages do, however, have free access to healthcare and counseling during their stay in D.C.