Pages of the United States Congress: Selection, Duties, and Program Administration

Publication Date: October 2006

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government

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Abstract:

For more than 150 years, messengers known as pages have served the United States Congress. Currently, approximately 100 young men and women from across the nation serve as pages at any given time. Pages must be high school juniors and at least 16 years of age. Several incumbent and former Members of Congress as well as other prominent Americans have served as congressional pages.

Senator Daniel Webster appointed the first Senate page in 1829. The first House pages began their service in 1842. The first women were appointed as pages in 1971.

Pages must be appointed and sponsored by a Member of Congress for one academic semester of the school year, or a summer session. They are appointed on a rotating basis pursuant to criteria set by the House and Senate leadership, which determines the Members eligible to sponsor a page. Academic standing is among the most important criteria used in the final selection of pages. Prospective pages are advised to contact their Senators or Representative to request consideration for a page appointment. For a longer discussion of the page system, see CRS Report RL33685, Pages of the United States Congress: History, Background Information, and Proposals for Change, by Mildred Amer.

This report is one of a series on the legislative process. For more information on the legislative process, see [http://www.crs.gov/products/guides/guidehome.shtml].