James Byrd of Wenatchee serves as a Senate page for Sen. Brad Hawkins

OLYMPIA — James Byrd, a home-schooled sophomore, served as a Senate page during the week of March 6-10 at the state Capitol in Olympia.

Byrd was sponsored by Sen. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, who represents the 12th Legislative District. He was one of 15 students serving as Senate pages during the ninth week of the 2023 legislative session.

“I wanted to become a page because I am very interested in learning about our government,” Byrd said, “It was very interesting to be on the floor and hearing the Senators debate; I really enjoyed seeing it firsthand.” Byrd also worked on a mock bill that would only allow the governor to serve two four terms.

“I really enjoyed James. He is a fun and outgoing young man who was clearly eager to learn about the legislative process. It’s reassuring to see young people like him express so much of an interest in his government,” Hawkins said.

Byrd enjoys playing lacrosse, computer programing, and is currently the elected president in Children of American Revolution. In CAR, youth learn about patriotism and practice leadership skills. Byrd hopes to attend University of Washington to study computer science and pursue a career in programing. Byrd, 16, is the son of Carrie and Chad Byrd of Wenatchee.

The Senate Page Program gives Washington students between the ages of 14 and 16 an opportunity to spend a week working and learning in the state Legislature. During their time at the Capitol, pages are responsible for transporting documents between offices, providing support to Senate offices, and working on the Senate Floor. Pages also spend their days attend in a classroom like setting learning about state government, parliamentary procedure and the legislative process. In addition, pages work together to draft their own bills and engage in a mock legislative session.