House Page Board Revision Act of 2007

HOUSE PAGE BOARD REVISION ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - January 19, 2007)

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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by commending my colleague on the page board, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), for his service to the program, long service to the program, and for the bipartisan manner in which he has handled the legislation before him today.

I would also like to thank the Chair and ranking member of the House Administration Committee, and I would like to join my fellow, the ranking member and all of us, really, to say thank you to all the pages who are in the room today, all the pages who are currently serving, and all those pages who have done wonderful service in the past.

I am proud to be the original cosponsor of the House Page Board Revision Act and rise to urge my colleagues to support it. I believe my colleagues will support it.

The House page program has existed for well over a century and provides teenagers with an incredible opportunity to learn about the legislative process, gain leadership and teamwork skills that can be applied to whatever profession they decide to enter. House pages provide a valuable service to the House of Representatives as well. The page program is truly an asset, both to this body and to the Nation.

I guarantee, if you ask any page in this room, present or former, about their experience, there is one word that they always use to describe it when I ask, and that is ``fantastic.' That is why Members of this House were shocked to learn that a former Congressman's inappropriate interaction with House pages came to light last fall.

As a mother, it was very upsetting to find out that children sent to Washington could possibly be preyed upon. As a Member of this House and a member of the page board, I was disappointed that the information regarding those e-mails was not shared with the full page board.

But since it is impossible to go back and fix, it is important that the House move forward to make the changes to prevent such an incident or other incidents that could endanger the safety of young people. Certainly, we all know that one of the most important rules of this House is for Members, of course, to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects credibility of the House.

But it is imperative that we learn lessons from last year's situation and take the steps necessary to better protect House pages and to ensure that any potential problem is investigated fully.

Mr. Speaker, many of the items in this bill are suggestions that I made to the page board in October, and I will include this letter into the RECORD listing my reasons for supporting this.

This legislation balances the partisan make-up of the page board by incorporating two pages from each party. I believe this provision is important, not just symbolically but it is also important because it demonstrates that nothing within the page board is ever construed as partisan.

It is important that everyone involved, House Members, staff, employees, pages, dorm supervisors alike feel comfortable approaching the page board with any information about possible threats to the safety of the children in this program. Demonstrating that the board is truly bipartisan should make this easier.

Expanding membership to include a former page and the parent of a current or recent page will improve discussions on policies for the page program and provide that additional perspective, that additional set of eyes and ears for any problems that may arise.

Certainly, regular meetings, I heartily agree, of the page board, will help shed light on any trouble facing our pages, and I am pleased that this provision has been included in the bill.

My hope is that other recommendations that have been put forward, such as a peer counseling program, better communications, will strengthen this program as we move forward into the future.

I commend the leaders of both parties for agreeing to take action to better protect the pages who serve this House; and, again, I thank Mr. Kildee for offering this bill. This is a good bipartisan piece of legislation, and I ask my colleagues to support it.

October 5, 2006.
Hon. JOHN SHIMKUS,
Hon. DALE KILDEE,
Mr. Bill Livingood, Sergeant-at-Arms.

DEAR PAGE BOARD MEMBER: This week has been difficult for all Members of Congress, as well as for the institution in which we serve. Make no mistake, the revelation of Mark Foley's despicable actions have been difficult on the young people in our Page Program as well. I am confident that I speak for the entire Page Board in expressing outrage and hoping that anyone involved in this tragic sequence of events be severely punished.

Today, Speaker Hastert called for the Page Program to be reviewed and strengthened. As the Speaker correctly stated, times have changed since this great program was created, and I believe it is incumbent upon us to ensure we address these changes as they pertain to the Page Program.

As a fellow member of the Page Board, I write to you today for two reasons: (1) To offer my full support for the continuation of the Page Program, and (2) Offer my suggestions on how we can begin to update and strengthen this program to ensure it continues to offer a safe learning experience for our nation's young people.

As we move forward, I ask that we consider using the following items as a starting point for reform to the Page Program:

(1) Increase the number of Members of Congress on the Page Board and, like the Committee on Standards & Official Conduct, establish equal representation from both parties on the Page Board. I know we all agree that the issue of safety for the young people in the Page Program is not a partisan one.

(2) Developing a peer counseling program within the Page Program. Modeled after peer programs that have been successful in our educational system, this would provide pages with an additional outlet to express any problems or concerns that may be easier than reporting to an adult.

(3) The implementation of monthly meetings with the Page Board, pages, as well as a representative from the U.S. Capitol Police. We should create a system in which all members of the Page Board have more information on any potential problem facing the pages, including receiving reports from the Capitol Police on any possible problems with crime activity on Capitol Hill or in the page dorm neighborhood.

(4) Establish training and guidelines on educating Members of Congress and pages on the job description and responsibilities of those in the Page Program as well as proper relationships with pages, Members of Congress, or any employee of the House of the Representatives.

I look forward to working with you to achieve our shared goal of improving this great program, and more importantly, ensuring we have put in place the best procedures to protect the safety and welfare of the young people in the Page Program.

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