Introduction
Welcome to the North Carolina General Assembly’s Senate Page Program website.
This program offers young men and women the opportunity to learn about and participate in the legislative process of our state. It is a week-long experience that allows high school students between the ages of 15 (or 14 if already in the 9th grade) and 18, to observe firsthand how our laws are made. It provides them the unique privilege of working on the Senate Chamber floor in the midst of legislative action.
Senate Pages are important to the operation of the General Assembly as they assist the members and staff of the Senate during the legislative session. They participate in daily sessions, committee meetings, and perform other duties including, but not limited to, delivering messages and materials within the legislative complex, answering phones in senators’ offices, and passing out documents or running errands in the Senate Chamber during daily sessions.
Selection Process
The selection process for this program is highly competitive. Official appointments are made by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate based on recommendations by individual senators. Each senator is allotted a number of students he or she can “sponsor” each session. Students submit their application to their senator who selects the individuals to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore. Appointments are made on a first-come, first-served basis. Senators are encouraged to sponsor students from a variety of backgrounds so that pages will be able to meet a diversity of young people from across the state.
Available Weeks
Page applications for the 2020 session are now available. The following weeks are open for page appointments:
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June 1 – 4, 2020
June 8 – 11, 2020
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North Carolina Senate Page Office • Legislative Building • Room 1029 • Raleigh, NC 27601-2808 • 919-733-5702
Qualifications and Application
Qualifications
In order to be a Senate Page, you must:
- Be between the ages of 15 (or 14 and currently in the ninth grade) and 18 years old
- Be sponsored by a member of the North Carolina Senate (accomplished through the application process described below)
- Be in good academic standing at school
- Have prior approval by the principal of your school if you are appointed to serve as a page during the school year
When to Apply
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until all positions for the session are full.
- The Home page will reflect when applications are no longer being accepted.
How to Apply
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Contact your senator to request an application as they are not available online or through the Page Office. Contact information for each senator is available on his or her web page.
Contact Your Senator.
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It is preferred that you contact the senator representing the district in which you live.
Find Your Senator.
- Return your completed application to your senator for his or her consideration.
- The selection process is quite competitive and not all who apply will be appointed. Each senator has his or her own criteria which they use to select pages for appointment by the Senate President Pro Tempore.
Notification of Appointment
If appointed, the student will receive an official letter of appointment from the Senate President Pro Tempore along with a packet including all necessary information and forms. A list of local families who host non-commuting pages will also be provided. Pages in need of accommodations are urged to contact these hosts immediately as the number of hosts is limited.
North Carolina Senate Page Office • Legislative Building • Room 1029 • Raleigh, NC 27601-2808 • 919-733-5702
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What are the duties and responsibilities of the Senate Page?
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Page duties and responsibilities are categorized as follows:
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Daily Senate Sessions - All pages attend daily Senate Sessions which are held in the Senate Chamber.
They may be asked to deliver messages or distribute bills, amendments, committee substitutes, and other
documents as requested by the senators.
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Committee Meetings - Pages are assigned to attend and assist with various committee meetings held throughout
the day when the Senate is not in session.
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Office Assistance - Pages may be asked to assist in individual senators’ offices while senators and their assistants
are in meetings. Their duties may include answering phones and filing or copying documents. They may also assist the
Page Coordinator with tasks inside and outside the Page Office.
- What is the schedule for a typical week?
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Pages report to the Legislative Building no later than 1:00 p.m. on the Monday of their assigned week.
Monday afternoon consists of orientation, training, and a tour of the Legislative Complex.
Pages participate in the Monday evening session.
- Pages are scheduled to work Tuesday-Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
- Occasionally, the Senate will meet on Friday, and pages may be on duty from 8:00 a.m. until noon. Friday duty is optional.
- Is there a Dress Code for Senate Pages?
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Appropriate business attire is required of all Senate Pages.
- Young men must wear a coat and tie at all times while they are on duty.
- Young women are expected to wear dresses, pant suits, or a skirt and blouse.
- Denim-wear is not allowed.
- All pages should wear comfortable, flat shoes; however, tennis shoes and thong sandals (flip flops) are not acceptable.
- A comprehensive dress code is outlined in the information packet Senate Pages receive upon their official appointment.
- Do Senate Pages receive compensation?
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- Pages receive a stipend of $150 per week to cover expenses.
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In lieu of payment, pages may elect to receive thirty hours of community service in accordance with the page's
school or organization community service policy. A form verifying such service may be secured from the Page
Coordinator upon request.
- What additional funds will pages need during their week of service?
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There is no need to bring large sums of money; however, pages will need to bring enough money to cover
lunch each day and any miscellaneous expenses they may choose to incur (souvenirs, local attractions, etc.).
- Are parking spaces provided for pages who drive themselves?
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The General Assembly does not provide parking or parking fee reimbursement for commuting pages.
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Pages may drive to Raleigh, but are discouraged from driving to and from the Legislative Building
during their assigned week. It is preferred that pages not drive at all during their time of service.
- Pages staying with host families will have their necessary transportation provided.
- Self-commuting pages may park in nearby paid visitor parking lots.
MORE QUESTIONS?
If you have further questions about the Senate Page Program, please contact the Senate Page Coordinator:
Michael Perdue
Legislative Building, Room 1029
Raleigh, NC 27601-2808
Phone: 919-733-5702
Email: michaelp@ncleg.net
North Carolina Senate Page Office • Legislative Building • Room 1029 • Raleigh, NC 27601-2808 • 919-733-5702
Senate Page Photo Gallery
North Carolina Senate Page Office • Legislative Building • Room 1029 • Raleigh, NC 27601-2808 • 919-733-5702
Things to see in Raleigh
Surrounding the Legislative Complex are a number of historical and educational sites. When time permits, pages are able to tour these special sites.
Raleigh is home to several colleges and universities that may be of interest to the high school students
making their higher education plans.
North Carolina Senate Page Office • Legislative Building • Room 1029 • Raleigh, NC 27601-2808 • 919-733-5702
