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| House of Representatives Page Program Coming to an End |
| posted by: Cindy Omlin | August 09, 2011, 05:19 PM |
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The House Page Program, a beloved and historical Washington institution is coming to an end. In a statement released yesterday by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) it was announced that the 200-year-old program that employs approximately 70 high school students to serve as messengers around the Capitol complex will end August 31. Started in 1774, the role of a page has changed over the centuries but remained a way for our best and brightest high school students from across the country to assist congressional leaders and truly see our government in action. In fact, a 2006 Roll Call story profiled 11 lawmakers who had gotten their start in Washington as pages, including Congressman Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) and Rep. John Dingell (D-MI). "We have great appreciation for the unique role that Pages have played in the history and traditions of the House of Representatives," Boehner and Pelosi said in a joint statement. "This decision was not easy, but it is necessary due to the prohibitive cost of the program and advances in technology that have rendered most Page-provided services no longer essential to the smooth functioning of the House." In addition to running various errands, pages also take classes at the House Page School and live together in a dorm on Capitol Hill. They receive a monthly salary of $1,804.83, from which a 35 percent room-and-board fee is deducted. According to the statement, the per-student cost of operating the program runs between $69,000 and $80,000 a year, at a total annual cost of more than $5 million. In conjunction with the high cost per student and the shift toward electronic communication, House leadership clearly see the program as unnecessary despite its rich historical significance. The statement further indicated that with the program ending they "will work with Members of the House to carry on the tradition of engaging young people in the work of the Congress." While the program is often hailed an excellent opportunity for young people, there have been several scandals over the program's history. In 2006, it was revealed that then-Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) sent inappropriate messages to a participant. Foley resigned just weeks later in one of Washington's most high-profile scandals. With the shift toward meaningful spending cuts, the axed Page Program has become the latest and perhaps the most shocking casualty of our collective financial troubles, especially for those who have worked on Capitol Hill. Interestingly, across the Capitol complex, the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) indicated that the Senate is not currently reviewing its nearly identical program for possible elimination. What are your thoughts on the elimination of the House Page Program? Comment below. Originally posted by Alix at AAE.
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