AUGUSTA — On March 27, I had the honor of representing Aroostook County as an Honorary Page at the Maine State Capital. I joined 24 members from 4H Clubs throughout the state who also served as Pages in the Legislature and Senate.
WITH REPRESENTATIVES — Rep. Henry Joy welcomes Emilie Newman of Ludlow to the House of Representatives during her recent visit and takes time to answer her questions. Newman also worked with Rep. Richard Cleary. He presented her with a copy of the Senate and House Registers for the State of Maine 123rd Legislature to help me better understand how the House of Representatives works.
Together, we represented 25 different voting districts. I had the privilege of meeting two of our local legislators — The Honorable Henry L. Joy of Crystal, who represents my hometown of Ludlow and the Honorable Richard C. Cleary of Houlton, where I attend school at Houlton Junior & Senior High School.
This was my first trip to Augusta and my first visit to our State Capital. My mother and I traveled to Augusta on March 26 and spent the night at the Senator Inn. We met the other Honorary Pages in the Hall of Flags at the State House at 8:30 a.m. the next day. We were then escorted to the Clerk’s Office where we were handed our name tags. At this time, we were brought onto the floor to get instructions on what we were supposed to do.
Pages bring notes from one seat to another and bring papers to the Legislators. We were told to watch a panel on the front of the first line of desks which showed each Legislator’s seat number and location. When a Representative needed a note taken to the Speaker of the House or another Legislator, they pushed a button on their desk which made their seat number light up on the panel. There are 151 members in the House of Representatives which keeps the Pages very busy.
The Speaker of the House sounded a bell to let everyone know it was time to go to work. The House went into Session around 9 a.m., and was opened with a prayer, the National Anthem, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Afterwards, Mr. Speaker (the person who stands in front of the House) announced the names of each Page and other guests (who sit in the Gallery, a balcony high above the Legislature) before beginning the business of the day.
After a little while, I caught on to how the Legislators get things done. The orders are read then Representatives have the opportunity to speak to urge their fellow Legislators to vote either for or against an item. When it is time to vote, Mr. Speaker sounds the bell and begins calling for absentees (legislators who have left the room). At this time, huge boards on both sides of the Chamber (which lists the names of Representatives in alphabetical order) light up to show which members have voted. There is a red light on one side of each Representative’s name for a ‘no’ vote and a green light on the other side for a ‘yes’ vote.
Legislators are allowed to leave to attend hearings and meetings but have to be back to vote when the bell is sounded. Leaving from time to time was necessary because the House did not end their Session until all business was complete, which meant they did not stop for bathroom breaks, lunch, or dinner.
It was really interesting to hear Representatives debate issues on healthcare and office closures and discuss how they would affect the State’s Budget and its residents. There were many different opinions in the House, but every Legislator had one common concern which was to make sure the people in the State of Maine did not have to suffer because of the decisions they made.
In all, I spent seven hours at the Capital interacting with Representatives and learning how our State Government works. It was a long day, but I had fun being a Page for all of the Legislators.
The next time you see one of your local Representatives don’t forget to thank them for being your District’s voice at the State House. I would like to thank Representatives Cleary and Joy for taking time out of their busy schedules to welcome me, and I would also like to thank the Houlton Town Office and the Houlton Chamber of Commerce for donating Town of Houlton pins to distribute to my fellow Pages in Augusta.
