Page service is a unique honor with a rich history. The first pages were actually apprentice knights. Pages served while they received scholastic, social and military education. Pages who successfully completed their studies then became squires and were allowed to continue their education. Hardworking squires were rewarded with the honor of knighthood. Pages were first associated with lawmaking bodies when they began appearing in royal courts. The term "honorary page" is applied to our guest attendants today because it recalls the honorable status and goals of pages in history.

Pages today have somewhat different roles. This page will give you a preliminary introduction to our program. When serving as a page, we hope that you will learn about legislative procedures and see firsthand the way the state legislature functions. Have a good time!

• Qualifications:
  Minimum age is 12 years old.

• Scheduling:
  Contact the Senator that represents your district. If you are not sure who the Senator is for your district, contact your local county clerk's office. The phone number for your Senator can be located through our legislative information number: 1-800-332-2313 or Secretary of the Senate's Office 503-986-1851. This Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms will send out written confirmation of the date and time of your visit. The Senate schedules only six honorary pages on any one day, so your date may be a few weeks away.

• Dress Code:
  Senate Rule 15.05 states that a dress code is established for those positions that support decorum and protocol of the Senate. Please be aware that when the honorary pages assist in the Senate Chamber during a floor session, they are in contact with elected officials and may be on television as part of the gavel-to-gavel coverage. We recommend clean, modest clothing respectful of the Oregon State Capitol, as well as comfortable shoes. Unnatural hair color/cuts, nose rings/studs, extreme clothing such as short and/or tight skirts and/or pants, low-cut blouses and/or shirts, logo T-shirts, etc., are not appropriate for the Senate Chamber.

• Hours:
  Check in with the Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms on the Senate Floor when coming on duty. The day will begin with a detailed historical tour of the Capitol. During the daily floor session, you will have the opportunity to meet some of our Senators. Duties for honorary pages in the afternoon vary from such tasks as using a copy machine to filing and running errands. If you become separated from the group or are unable to complete a task, report back to the Senate floor immediately.

  A typical day for an honorary page is from 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. with a lunch period at noon. (There are fast food restaurants nearby as well as the Capitol Cafe in the basement of the Capitol Building.)

• Decorum:
  We look to parliamentary custom and basic courtesy to define the conduct of pages while on duty. The President of the Senate is responsible for the decorum of all personnel in the Senate Chamber. Supervision of the honorary pages is the responsibility of the Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms. Honorary pages will primarily serve the legislative needs of the Senators while in session, but you may also assist the committee staff and Senators' personal staff.

For further information, contact the
Secretary of Senate's Office:
(503) 986-1851 or FAX (503) 986-1132

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