Order Code RL33685
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Pages of the United States Congress:
History, Background Information,
and Proposals for Change
October 11, 2006
Mildred Amer
Specialist in American Government
Government and Finance Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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Pages of the United Congress: History, Background
Information and Proposals for Change
Summary
For more than 175 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.
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.
Over the years, there have been areas of concern about the problems posed by
having young pages serve Congress. In the 1800s and early 1900s, some House
pages were as young as 10 and Senate pages as young as 13. Most of the concerns
and subsequent congressional actions addressed the lack of supervised housing, as
well as issues such as age, tenure, selection, education, and overall management of
the pages. The most recent and far-reaching reforms in the page system occurred in
1982 and 1983, following press reports of insufficient supervision, alleged sexual
misconduct, and involvement in the trafficking of drugs on Capitol Hill. Most of
these reports were later found to be unsubstantiated.
The page program has again come to light following recent allegations involving
improper emails between a former Member of the House and former House pages.
Currently, the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is investigating
these allegations. In addition, current and former Members of Congress as well as
former congressional pages are discussing possible ways to reform the current
congressional page programs.
This report provides a brief history of the congressional page programs,
background information, and proposals for change. It will be updated as needed.

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Contents
History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Duties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
House Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Senate Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1982-1983 and Subsequent Changes and Reforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
House of Representatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Senate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Recent Developments and Proposals for Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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Pages of the United Congress:
History, Background Information
and Proposals for Change
History
Serving Members of the United States Congress is a group of young adults
known as pages. Pages have been employed since the early Congresses, and 11
Members of the 109th Congress are former pages. Today, they include males and
females, who are juniors in high school and who come from all areas of the United
States.
The term “page”is of Middle English origin. According to the Oxford English
Dictionary, the term dates from the 15th century when it meant a youth employed as
a personal attendant to a person of rank. In the 16th century, the term also applied to
a boy or lad employed as a servant or attendant.
The page system is formally provided for in law (2 U.S.C. 88; P.L. 91-510),
although the rationale for the page service or for using high school students is not.
It has been widely noted in debates and writings within Congress, however, that
pages provide needed messenger services while at the same time providing a unique
educational opportunity for the select few chosen. In recent years, Congress has
determined that juniors in high school are at an optimum age to be a page and are
most suited for the services provided Members of Congress. At the same time, being
a page has been seen as offering a young adult an opportunity to learn about Congress
and contributing to developing leadership qualities in these young men and women.
Over the years, there have been areas of concern about the problems posed by
having young pages serve Congress. In the 1800s and early 1900s, some House
pages were as young as 10 and Senate pages as young as 13. Most of the concerns
and subsequent congressional actions addressed the lack of supervised housing, as
well as issues such as age, tenure, selection, education, and overall management of
the pages. The most recent and far-reaching reforms in the page system occurred in
1982 and 1983, following press reports of insufficient supervision, alleged sexual
misconduct, and involvement in the trafficking of drugs on Capitol Hill. Most of
these reports were later found to be unsubstantiated.
As a result of the allegations, however, both the House and Senate established
Page Boards to supervise the page program in their respective houses. In addition,
the House and Senate, for the first time, provided supervised housing for their pages,
took over the education of the pages from the District of Columbia school system and
established separate page schools, and developed more educational and recreational
opportunities for their pages.

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Pages are not unique to the United States Congress. A majority of state
legislatures and some foreign legislative assemblies employ messengers similar to
congressional pages.
Duties
Pages serve principally as messengers. They carry documents between the
House and Senate, Members’ offices, committees, and the Library of Congress. They
also prepare the House and Senate chambers for each day’s business by distributing
the Congressional Record and other documents related to the day’s agenda, assist in
the cloakrooms and chambers, and when Congress is in session, sit near the dais
where they may be summoned by Members for assistance. House pages also raise
and lower the flag on the roof of the Capitol. Senate pages perform special duties
every four years when they take part in the ceremony counting the electoral votes
after a presidential election. Two pages, usually one from each party, carry the
wooden boxes containing the ballots from the Senate to the House chamber where
the votes are tallied.
House Pages1
Currently, there are 72 House pages, 48 of whom are selected by the majority
party and 24 by the minority party. The House page program is administered by the
Office of the Clerk and supervised by the House Page Board, currently chaired by
Representative John Shimkus (R-IL). Members of the Page Board include
Representatives Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Dale Kildee (D-MI), as well as
the Clerk and the Sergeant at Arms of the House.
In the 108th Congress, the Page Board established new criteria for the
appointment of House pages. These include requirements that Members select
applicants from their home states, a limit to page service for one semester, and the
creation of an admissions panel (composed of the Clerk of the House, staff from the
Page School and dormitory, and floor staff representing both parties), which
interviews all prospective pages. The House leadership has final approval of all
students selected for the program.
House pages are paid at the annual rate of $18,817. Automatic, monthly
deductions are taken from their salaries for federal and state taxes, Social Security,
and a residence hall fee of $400, which includes five breakfasts and seven dinners per
week. The pages are required to live in the supervised House Page Dormitory near
the Capitol. They are responsible for the cost of their uniforms — navy jackets, dark
grey slacks or skirts, long sleeve white shirt, and black shoes — and transportation
to and from Washington, DC.
1 For further information, please refer to [http://pageprogram.house.gov].

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During the school year, they are educated in the House Page School located in
the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. The page school, which
is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, offers a
junior-year high school curriculum, college preparatory courses, and extracurricular
and weekend activities. Early morning classes are usually held five days a week prior
to the convening of the House.
Senate Pages
There are 30 Senate pages, 18 of whom are selected by the majority party and
12 by the minority party. The Senate Sergeant at Arms supervises the Senate page
program along with the Secretary of the Senate, the two party secretaries, the Senate
page program director and the principal of the Senate Page School.
Senate pages are paid at the annual rate of $20,491. Automatic deductions are
made from their salaries for taxes and Social Security as well as the $600 residence
hall fee, which includes breakfast and dinner seven days a week. Pages must pay
their transportation costs to Washington, DC, but their uniforms are supplied. The
uniforms consist of navy blue suits, white shirts, dark socks, and black shoes.
The Senate provides its pages supervised housing and education in the Daniel
Webster Page Residence near the Hart Senate Office Building. Pages, who serve
during the academic year, are educated in this school, which is also accredited by the
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The junior-year curriculum is
geared toward college preparation and emphasis is given to the unique learning
opportunities available in Washington, DC. Early morning classes are held prior to
the convening of the Senate.
1982-1983 and Subsequent Changes and Reforms
House of Representatives
In mid-July 1982 following unfavorable press reports concerning congressional
pages, the Speaker and the Republican Leader of the House of Representatives
appointed a Page Commission to study all aspects of the House page system,
including whether it should be continued, the need for supervised housing, and the
need, if any, for improved education.2 The commission was directed to report
recommendations as soon as possible.
The commission held hearings in July and August 1982 during which some
Members of Congress, current and former pages, and congressional officials
testified.3 In mid-August 1982, the commission delivered its report to the Speaker,
2 Congressional Record, vol. 128, July 20, 1982, p. 17041.
3 U.S. Congress, House Speaker’s Commission on Pages, Hearings Before the Speaker’s
(continued...)

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recommending continuation of the House page system with modifications. These
included requiring pages to be juniors in high school and at least 16 years of age,
placing responsibility for the page program with a page board; developing a code of
conduct for pages; centralizing housing for the pages with supervision by resident
counselors and security provided by the U.S. Capitol Police; improving the page
education and recreation program; developing reasonably standard selection criteria;
and prohibiting employees of Members or committees from serving in the page
system.4
By the end of 1983, many of these recommendations had been implemented,
including the appointment in November 1982 of the first House Page Board.5 In
September 1983, the House cancelled its contract with the District of Columbia
Board of Education and hired its own teachers to operate a new school for its pages.
By 2001, the House had moved its pages from temporary supervised housing and
moved them into a residence facility newly renovated for them.
Senate
Early in the 97th Congress (1981-1983), the Senate Management Board,
composed of the Secretary and the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, the Architect of
the Capitol, and the staff directors of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee
and the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, directed its staff to
conduct an extensive review of the Senate page program in an effort to identify
elements of the program which should be improved.
In July 1982, the Management Board recommended to the joint Senate
leadership certain changes in the Senate page program, including limitation of page
appointments to high school juniors, a more innovative academic program with better
facilities, encouragement of Senators to appoint as pages individuals with
outstanding academic credentials, a supervised single housing unit for Senate pages,
and consolidation of responsibility for Senate pages.6
By the end of 1983, most of these recommendations had been implemented.
Senate pages were required to live in the same supervised facility as the House pages,
they were provided better overall supervision, meal service, and organized recreation.
The Senate also voted to limit pages to 11th grade students.7 In addition, the Senate
formalized the longstanding practice of having the Sergeant at Arms and the two
party secretaries administer the page program. Subsequently, the Senate established
its own Page Board composed of the Secretary of the Senate and the Sergeant at
3 (...continued)
Commission on Pages, part 1, 97th Cong., 2nd Sess., July 22-24, 1982, Aug. 4, 1982
(Washington: GPO, 1982), 381p.
4 U.S. Congress, House Speaker’s Commission on Pages, Report to the Speaker, committee
print, 97th Cong., 2nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 1982), 54p.
5 Congressional Record, vol. 128, Nov. 30, 1982, p. H20831.
6 U.S. Congress, Senate Management Board, Memorandum, July 14, 1982, 3p.
7 Congressional Record, vol. 129, 1983, p. 21646.

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Arms.8 In 1995, the Senate pages moved into their own supervised housing (separate
from the House pages), Daniel Webster Hall, which is located on the Senate side of
the Capitol. At the same time, in 1995, the Senate cancelled its contract with the
District of Columbia School System and opened its independent page school in
Webster Hall.
Recent Developments and Proposals for Change
On October 5, 2006, the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
“voted unanimously to establish an Investigative Subcommittee regarding any
conduct of Members, officers, and employees of the House related to information
concerning improper conduct involving Members and Current and Former
[congressional] Pages.”9 This action followed the resignation of a Representative on
September 29, 2006, after reports of alleged improper communications between the
Member and a former congressional page. The FBI and Justice Department are also
investigating the allegations. In addition, the Speaker of the House reportedly has
asked Representative Shimkus, the chairman of the House Page Board, to investigate
to “make sure all of our pages are safe and our page system is safe.”10
As a result of these events, Representatives, former pages, and others are
reexamining the page system and considering changes and alternatives. Some
Members have called for a suspension of the House page program until a full
evaluation is completed.11 One suggested the assistance of outside congressional
scholars to review the program.12 Others have proposed creating a process for
investigating alleged misconduct involving a minor, having former Members of
Congress as a co-chairs of the House Page Board, or having equal party
representation on the House Page Board.13
One former page has recommended “getting Congress out of the page business”
with the creation of a single congressional page board composed primarily of former
pages.14 The board would have offices in the House and Senate, and have the ability
8 According to the office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms, other Senate officials responsible
for the Senate page program attend the meetings of the Senate Page Board.
9 [http://www.house.gov/ethics/Press_Statement_Page_Subcomm.htm], and Washington
Post, Oct. 6, 2006, pp. A1, A4.
10 Washington Post, Sept. 30, 2006, p. A1.
11 John McArdle, “LaHood: Send The Pages Home,” Roll Call, Oct. 5, 2006, pp. 1, 23; Steve
Tetreault, “Porter Urges Suspension of House Page Program,”Las Vegas Review Journal,
Oct. 4, 2006, p. 4A.
12 John McArdle, “LaHood: Send the Pages Home,”, pp. 1, 23.
13 Rep. Mark Kirk, “Congress Must Remember Kids Come First,” Roll Call, Oct. 10, 2006,
p. 8; [http://www.house.gov/list/speech/il10_kirk/houserules.html]; and Rep. Tom Davis,
“Don’t Punish Our Pages — They Are Not the Problem,” Roll Call, Oct. 10, 2006, p. 10.
14 Jonathan Turley, “Get Congress Out of the Page Business,” New York Times, Oct. 4, 2006,
(continued...)

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to report any wrongdoing involving the pages directly to the two congressional ethics
committees, which would be required to investigate the complaints. According to
this former page, “ … the greatest resource and protection for the page academy can
be found in its alumni. Former pages now hold considerable power throughout the
legal, business and media worlds.”15
Another proposal has been for the creation of a United States Page Foundation
to help fund “the page program” and offer support to current and former pages.16 The
importance of the page program is underscored in statements similar to the following
from one Senator who stated, “[o]f one thing we may be certain, as we watch our
young friends go about their daily tasks here: the Senate could not function very well
without them.”17
Any major changes to the page program, especially changes that would suspend
or replace it, could have an impact that reaches far beyond the program itself.
Eliminating the program could reflect negatively on Congress. In addition, there
would be a need to address the necessity of the duties currently performed by the
pages, as well as who would perform those duties in their absence, and at what cost.
The disposition of the buildings currently used to house and educate the pages would
likewise need to be assessed. In debating the future of the page system, former pages
and others in and out of government agree that being a page is a rewarding chance
for high school students to view government in action and participate in a leadership
building experience.18
crsphpgw
14 (...continued)
p. A27.
15 Jonathan Turley, “A Page Protection Act: The Path to Saving a Historic Program,” Roll
Call, Oct. 5, 2006, p. 13.
16 Rep. Tom Davis, “Don’t Punish Our Pages — They Are Not the Problem,” p. 10; and
Turley, “A Page Protection Act: The Path to Saving a Historic Program,” 13.
17 Robert C. Byrd, The Senate 1789-1989, Addresses on the History of the United States
Senate, Volume Two (Bicentennial Edition). S. Doc. 100-20, 100th Cong., 1st sess.
(Washington, GPO, 1989), p. 390.
18 Rep. Tom Davis, “Don’t Punish Our Pages — They Are Not the Problem,” p. 10; and
Turley, “Get Congress Out Of The Page Business,” A27.

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