CHAPTER 49 - CONGRESSIONAL PAGES
Title 2 > CHAPTER 49
Sections (11)
§ 4901 Congressional pages
(a) Appointment conditions A person shall not be appointed as a page of the Senate or House of Representatives— unless he agrees that, in the absence of unforeseen circumstances preventing his service as a page after his appointment, he will continue to serve as a page for the period specified in writing at the time of the appointment; and until complete information in writing is transmitted to his parent or parents, his legal guardian, or other appropriate person or persons acting as his parent or parents, with respect to the nature of the work of pages, their pay, their working conditions (including hours and scheduling of work), and the housing accommodations available to pages.
(b) Qualifications A person shall not serve as a page— of the Senate before he has attained the age of sixteen years; or of the House of Representatives before he has attained the age of sixteen years.
§ 4902 John W. McCormack Residential Page School
(a) Construction authorization for dormitory and classroom facilities complex There is hereby authorized to be constructed, on a site jointly approved by the Senate Office Building Commission and the House Office Building Commission, in accordance with plans which shall be prepared by or under the direction of the Architect of the Capitol and which shall be submitted to and jointly approved by the Senate Office Building Commission and the House Office Building Commission, a fireproof building containing dormitory and classroom facilities, including necessary furnishings and equipment, for pages of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
(b) Acquisition of property in District of Columbia The Architect of the Capitol, under the joint direction and supervision of the Senate Office Building Commission and the House Office Building Commission, is authorized to acquire on behalf of the United States, by purchase, condemnation, transfer, or otherwise, such publicly or privately owned real property in the District of Columbia (including all alleys, and parts of alleys, and streets within the curblines surrounding such real property) located in the vicinity of the United States Capitol Grounds, as may be approved jointly by the Senate Office Building Commission and the House Office Building Commission, for the purpose of constructing on such real property, in accordance with this section, a suitable dormitory and classroom facilities complex for pages of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
(c) Condemnation proceedings Any proceeding for condemnation instituted under subsection (b) of this section shall be conducted in accordance with subchapter IV of chapter 13 of title 16 of the District of Columbia Code.
(d) Transfer of United States owned property Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any real property owned by the United States, and any alleys, or parts of alleys and streets, contained within the curblines surrounding the real property acquired on behalf of the United States under this section shall be transferred, upon the request of the Architect of the Capitol made with the joint approval of the Senate Office Building Commission and the House Office Building Commission, to the jurisdiction and control of the Architect of the Capitol.
(e) Alley and street closures by Mayor of the District of Columbia Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any alleys, or parts of alleys and streets, contained within the curblines surrounding the real property acquired on behalf of the United States under this section shall be closed and vacated by the Mayor of the District of Columbia in accordance with any request therefor made by the Architect of the Capitol with the joint approval of the Senate Office Building Commission and the House Office Building Commission.
(f) United States Capitol Grounds provisions applicable Upon the acquisition on behalf of the United States of all real property under this section, such property shall be a part of the United States Capitol Grounds and shall be subject to the provisions of sections 1922, 1961, 1966, 1967, and 1969 of this title and sections 5101 to 5107 and 5109 of title 40.
(g) Designation; employment of services under supervision and control of Architect of the Capitol: joint approval and direction of Speaker and President pro tempore; annual estimates to Congress; regulations governing Architect of the Capitol The building constructed on the real property acquired under this section shall be designated the “John W. McCormack Residential Page School”. The employment of all services (other than that of the United States Capitol Police) necessary for its protection, care, maintenance, and use, for which appropriations are made by Congress, shall be under the control and supervision of the Architect of the Capitol. Such supervision and control shall be subject to the joint approval and direction of the Speaker and the President pro tempore. The Architect shall submit annually to the Congress estimates in detail for all services, other than those of the United States Capitol Police or those provided in connection with the conduct of school operations and the personal supervision of pages, and for all other expenses in connection with the protection, care, maintenance, and use of the John W. McCormack Residential Page School. The Speaker and the President pro tempore shall prescribe, from time to time, regulations governing the Architect in the provision of services and the protection, care, and maintenance, of the John W. McCormack Residential Page School.
(h) Joint appointee for supervision and control over page activities; regulations; Residence Superintendent of Pages: appointment, compensation, and duties; additional personnel: appointment and compensation The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate jointly shall designate an officer of the House and an officer of the Senate, other than a Member of the House or Senate, who shall jointly exercise supervision and control over the activities of the pages resident in the John W. McCormack Residential Page School. With the approval of the Speaker and the President pro tempore, such officers so designated shall prescribe regulations governing— the actual use and occupancy of the John W. McCormack Residential Page School including, if necessary, the imposition of a curfew for pages; the conduct of pages generally; and other matters pertaining to the supervision, direction, safety, and well-being of pages in off-duty hours. Such officers, subject to the approval of the Speaker and the President pro tempore, jointly shall appoint and fix the per annum gross rate of pay of a Residence Superintendent of Pages, who shall perform such duties with respect to the supervision of pages resident therein as those officials shall prescribe. In addition, such officers, subject to the approval of the Speaker and the President pro tempore, jointly shall appoint and fix the per annum gross rates of pay of such additional personnel as may be necessary to assist those officers and the Residence Superintendent of Pages in carrying out their functions under this section.
(i) Section 4903 of this title unaffected Nothing in this part shall affect the operation of section 4903 of this title , relating to educational facilities of pages and other minors who are congressional employees.
§ 4903 Education of other minors who are Senate employees
The facilities provided for the education of Congressional and Supreme Court pages shall be available from and after January 2, 1947 , also for the education of such other minors who are Senate employees as may be certified by the Secretary of the Senate to receive such education. ( Mar. 22, 1947, ch. 20 , title I, 61 Stat. 16 ; Pub. L. 98–367, title I, § 103 , July 17, 1984 , 98 Stat. 479 ; Pub. L. 104–186, title II, § 204(35) , Aug. 20, 1996 , 110 Stat. 1735 .)
§ 4911 House of Representatives Page Board; establishment and purpose
(a) Until otherwise provided by law, there is hereby established a board to be known as the House of Representatives Page Board to ensure that the page program is conducted in a manner that is consistent with the efficient functioning of the House and the welfare of the pages.
(b) The Page Board shall meet regularly, in accordance with a schedule established jointly by the Speaker and minority leader of the House of Representatives.
§ 4912 Membership of Page Board
(a) Appointed and designated members The Page Board shall consist of— two Members of the House appointed by the Speaker and two Members of the House appointed by the minority leader; one individual who, at any time during the 5-year period which ends on the date of the individual’s appointment, is or was a parent of a page participating in the program; one individual who is a former page of the House who is not a Member of the House or an individual described in paragraph (2); and the Clerk and the Sergeant at Arms of the House.
(b) Special rules for members representing parents and former pages In the case of the members of the Page Board who are described in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (a), the following shall apply: Each such member shall be appointed jointly by the Speaker and minority leader of the House of Representatives. Each such member shall serve for a term of one year and may be reappointed for additional terms if the member continues to meet the requirements for appointment. A vacancy in the position held by any such member shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. An individual appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the original term and may be reappointed in accordance with paragraph (2). Each such member may be paid travel or transportation expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, for attending meetings of the Page Board while away from the member’s home or place of business. There are authorized to be appropriated from the applicable accounts of the House of Representatives such sums as may be necessary for payments under this paragraph.
(c) “Member of the House” defined As used in sections 4911 to 4913 of this title, the term “Member of the House” means a Representative in, and a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.
§ 4913 Regulations of Page Board
The Page Board shall have authority to prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out sections 4911 to 4913 of this title. ( Pub. L. 97–377, title I, § 127 , Dec. 21, 1982 , 96 Stat. 1914 .)
§ 4914 Academic year and summer term for page program
The page program shall consist of the two semesters of the academic year, plus a non-academic summer term. ( Pub. L. 98–367, title I, § 103 , July 17, 1984 , 98 Stat. 479 ; Pub. L. 104–186, title II, § 204(40)(B) , Aug. 20, 1996 , 110 Stat. 1736 .)
§ 4915 Service of page during academic year and summer term; filling of vacancies; eligibility
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), a page serving during an academic year— shall be in the eleventh grade; and shall serve for one full semester or two full semesters. Except as provided in subsection (b), a page serving during the summer term— shall have completed the tenth grade; and shall not have begun the twelfth grade.
(b) An unforeseen vacancy occurring in a page position during an academic year may be filled, except that no appointment may be made under this paragraph for service to begin on or after October 1 with respect to the first semester or on or after March 1 with respect to the second semester. An individual who has served as a congressional page at any time during each of any three semesters or terms, as the case may be, shall not be eligible to serve as a page.
§ 4916 Definitions
As used in sections 4914 to 4916 of this title, the term— “academic year” means a regular school year, consisting of two semesters; “page” means a page of the House of Representatives, but such term does not include a full time, permanent employee of the House of Representatives with supervisory responsibility for pages; and “congressional page” means a page of the House of Representatives or the Senate. ( Pub. L. 98–367, title I, § 103 , July 17, 1984 , 98 Stat. 479 ; Pub. L. 104–186, title II, § 204(40)(F) , Aug. 20, 1996 , 110 Stat. 1736 .)
§ 4917 Page residence hall and page meal plan
(a) Revolving fund; establishment within House contingent fund Effective at the beginning of the Ninety-eighth Congress and until otherwise provided by law, there is established a revolving fund within the contingent fund of the House of Representatives for the page residence hall and the page meal plan.
(b) Deposits in revolving fund; disbursements by Chief Administrative Officer of House There shall be deposited in the revolving fund such amounts as may be received by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives with respect to lodging, meals, and related services furnished for congressional pages. Amounts so deposited shall be available for disbursement by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, as determined by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, for expenses relating to the page residence hall and the page meal plan.
(c) Regulations The House of Representatives Page Board shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this section.
§ 4931 Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence Revolving Fund
(a) Establishment There is established in the Treasury of the United States a revolving fund within the contingent fund of the Senate to be known as the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence Revolving Fund (hereafter referred to in this section as the “fund”). The fund shall consist of all rental payments and other moneys collected or received by the Sergeant at Arms with regard to the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence. All moneys in the fund shall be available without fiscal year limitation for disbursement by the Secretary of the Senate in connection with operation and maintenance of the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence not normally performed by the Architect of the Capitol. In addition, such moneys may be used by the Sergeant at Arms to purchase food and food related items and fund activities for the pages.
(b) Deposit of moneys All moneys received from rental payments and other moneys (including donated moneys) collected or received by the Sergeant at Arms with regard to the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence shall be deposited in the fund and shall be available for purposes of this section.
(c) Vouchers Disbursements from the fund shall be made upon vouchers approved by the Sergeant at Arms, or the designee of the Sergeant at Arms.
(d) Regulations The Sergeant at Arms is authorized to prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section and to provide for the operations of the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence.