ST. PAUL – Rep. Matt Bliss, R-Pennington, encourages high school juniors to seize a rare opportunity to spend a week working behind the scenes at the Capitol as a legislative page.
Applications to the high school page program are now open for the 2019 session, with a Nov. 28 deadline. High school pages attend meetings with legislators, constitutional officers, members of the judiciary and others. Pages also assist members and staff during House floor sessions, participate in mock committee hearings and more. Twelve week-long slots are available from early February until mid-May and stipends are available to defray expenses.
“It is hard to think of a better way for students to learn about our state government than to actually spend a week working in the Legislature,” Bliss said. “It is a rewarding experience for high school pages, from the behind-the-scenes access have, to the personal connections that are made and the simple fact they are on the House floor as decisions are made that impact our entire state. Students from our area who have served as pages come away with a much deeper understanding of how things work at the Capitol and I hope more juniors from District 5A are able to serve in 2019.”
The House of Representatives page program has been in place for more than 40 years and Minnesota is one of only a select few states in the nation to offer this program, providing young people with such an in-depth look into state government.
Program participants are selected through a formal process which includes an application, faculty recommendation and an essay.
More information is available by logging on to www.house.mn and clicking the “High School Page Program” link near the bottom of the site, or by calling (651) 296-7452. Local schools also can provide further assistance.
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