Pelosi, Boehner seek improvements to page program

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) are seeking improvements to the House page program, such as written rules regulating visitation in the page dorm.

In a letter to Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), the chairman of the House Page Board, the two leaders point to a recent probe by the House inspector general. The investigation focused on “the adequacy of current procedures governing the operation and supervision of the Page Residence Hall” and determined that “significant improvements” were needed.

{mosads}Among the findings of the inspector general was that there have “never been sufficiently detailed written policies concerning the adult employees who reside in the Page Residence Hall.” The report recommends that the clerk of the House should establish such rules.

“We strongly support his recommendations and urge the Page Board to take immediate action to implement them,” Pelosi and Boehner said.

In addition, the two leaders also told Kildee that they would consult with him as they “select an appropriate outside entity to conduct a thorough review of the entire page program.”

Kildee responded in a statement that he had reviewed the report and found it and the letter from Pelosi and Boehner “very helpful in addressing the needs of the Page Program.”

“The Clerk of the House, under her current authority, is already beginning the implementation of the Inspector General’s recommendations,” Kildee stated. “The House Page Board will meet this week to review the implementation now in place and to discuss any further changes in Page Program policy.”

The inspector general never publicly releases investigative reports, according to a Democratic leadership aide.

In addition, Pelosi press secretary Drew Hammill noted that the “full report includes security-related information as well as references to confidential interviews undertaken by the IG.”