Jan. 26, 2009

Stanwood student serves as legislative page for Rep. Barbara Bailey
Kelsea Payne participates in second week of 2009 legislative session

Kelsea Payne recently served as a legislative page in the Washington State House of Representatives. She was sponsored by Rep. Barbara Bailey.

Kelsea, 16, is the daughter of Dan and Kari Payne of Stanwood. A 10th-grader at Stanwood High School, she served as a page Jan. 19-23.

“The second week of the legislative session is when the pace picks up and state lawmakers focus on the hard work ahead. I’m glad Kelsea was able to experience this unique time in the Legislature,” said Bailey, R-Oak Harbor. “I think Kelsea enjoyed her time in Olympia, and my hope is she will share the experiences with her friends and classmates. I think it is important for all young men and women to learn about state government and how they can become involved.”

Kelsea’s responsibilities included delivering messages and documents to legislators and legislative assistants, committee meetings and House chambers. She also continued her high school schoolwork and spent time in the legislative page school learning about state government.

Young men and women have come to Olympia since 1891 to serve as pages for the Washington State Legislature. Pages must obtain permission from their parents and schools, and most live with volunteer host families.

State representatives may only sponsor a limited number of pages each session. Students interested in becoming pages can contact Rep. Bailey directly at (360) 786-7914 or bailey.barbara@leg.wa.gov.

Additional information about the House Page Program can be found at: http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Pages/HousePageProgram.aspx

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For more information, contact: John Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758