Oak Harbor student spends week in Olympia as legislative page

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 29, 2014

CONTACT: Kylee Zabel, House Republicans Session Aide – (360) 786-7829

Oak Harbor student spends week in Olympia as legislative page

Daniel Otto, a sophomore at Bible Baptist School in Oak Harbor, served as a legislative page in the Washington House of Representatives from Jan. 20 – 24. He was sponsored by Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton.

Otto received encouragement from his parents, Mark and Daisy, grandparents George and Carol, Pastor Robert Sargent of Bible Baptist Church, and school principal Jim Kiesel as he traveled to Olympia for his week-long stay.

“I was so pleased to host Daniel in the House of Representatives,” said Smith. “Daniel immersed himself in the learning opportunity and demonstrated thoughtful leadership during his service. The work our pages complete down in Olympia is vital to legislators governing effectively and they have a unique opportunity to learn how our state government operates.”

Daniel also observed the Legislature in action and was responsible for delivering messages and documents to legislators in their offices, committee meetings and the House chamber during floor sessions. He and other pages attended the Legislature’s page school, where they learned about how a bill becomes a law and other legislative actions.

To become a page, applicants must have a legislative sponsor and be between the ages of 14 and 16. Pages earn $35 per day while serving in the program. Additionally, pages are required to obtain written permission from their parents and school. For more information about the program, visit: http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Pages/HousePageProgram.aspx