Jan. 26, 2009

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Renton student serves as legislative page for Rep. Jay Rodne
Bridgette Johnson experiences second week of 2009 legislative session

Bridgette Johnson recently served as a legislative page in the Washington State House of Representatives. She was sponsored by Rep. Jay Rodne, R-North Bend.

Bridgette, 14, is the daughter of Craig and Julie Johnson of Renton. An 8th-grader at St. Anthony School, she served as a page from Jan. 19-23 – the second week of the 2009 legislative session.

“The second week of the legislative session is when state lawmakers roll up their sleeves and the hard work begins. I’m glad Bridgette was able to experience it. It seemed like she really enjoyed her time at the Capitol,” said Rodne. “In addition to having fun, I hope Bridgette learned a lot and is able to share her experiences with friends and family. It’s important for young people to be involved with our legislative processes.”

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

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

House members may only sponsor a limited number of pages each session. Students interested in becoming pages can contact Rep. Rodne directly at (360) 786-7852 or rodne.jay@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