State Legislative Page Programs and Youth Legislatures for Teens

Author: ExtracurricularHub Editorial Team · Reviewed by Parker, Founder — editorial policy

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Article Summary

State legislative page programs and youth legislatures: eligibility, pay, housing and 2027-session deadlines for Idaho, Iowa, Montana, South Dakota and more.

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Most students learn how a bill becomes law from a textbook. A legislative page learns it by walking the bill down the hall. Many state legislatures hire or host high school students during their session to deliver messages, run errands, staff committee rooms and, in some states, work on the chamber floor. Programs that seat students as lawmakers themselves go by the name youth legislatures.

This guide covers the state programs in our catalog and what each official page says, checked on September 26, 2026. Most of these legislatures meet from January into spring, and applications for the 2027 session are open or opening now, with several deadlines in October and November. If you're looking for the U.S. Senate Page Program in Washington, D.C., our civics programs guide covers it, along with Boys State, Girls State and the U.S. Senate Youth Program.

State Page Programs at a Glance

ProgramWho can applyHow long you servePay and housing2027-session deadline
Idaho HouseSeniors ages 17-19About six weeks, in the first or second half of the session$14.55 an hour; housing and transportation are the family's responsibilityNovember 20, 2026
Iowa LegislatureJuniors and seniors of high academic standing, at least 16 by January 2, 2027Full time, Monday-Thursday, January 11 to about April 30, 2027About $11.55 an hour; living arrangements are unsupervised and arranged by the family5:00 p.m., October 16, 2026
Montana LegislatureJuniors and seniors at least 16, recommended by a legislatorOne weekMinimum wage; housing and transportation are the family's responsibilityNot posted
South Dakota LegislatureJuniors and seniors; a GPA of at least 3.0 is encouragedOne of five terms between January and March; most run about two weeksThe application asks whether you need the page advisor to arrange housingPreferred October 2; final postmark October 16, 2026
Minnesota HouseJuniorsOne week in Saint PaulLodging covered plus a small meal stipendApplications open now; the session starts January 12, 2027
Washington LegislatureAges 14-16, sponsored by a legislatorOne week$67 a dayApplications open November 1, 2026
Virginia House of DelegatesAges 13 or 14 on January 13, 2027The whole session, living in a hotel with chaperonesA paid position of about 40 hours a week3:00 p.m., October 16, 2026
Mississippi 4-H Senate Page4-H members ages 14-17 in high school with at least a B averageNot statedNot statedNot posted

What Pages Actually Do

The daily work is similar everywhere. Idaho House pages help committee secretaries set up and take down meetings, deliver messages, run errands, make copies and assist legislators and staff. Montana pages distribute bills, amendments and other official documents, and they work on the House or Senate floor during legislative action. Iowa pages answer the switchboard, and pages in both Iowa chambers help run the livestream technology for committee meetings.

Some programs add real teaching. Washington pages spend time each day in Page School learning about state government. Virginia's House pages study the legislative process, meet officials from all branches of state government and hold a Page Debate in the House Chamber. Virginia's Senate program ends with a capstone debate in which pages and legislators switch roles.

State by State: The Details That Matter

Idaho

Idaho's House program is only for seniors. Students apply in summer and fall, applications are reviewed in early December, and accepted students are notified by mail. Pages serve in one half of the session, and each group serves five to six weeks. You need written permission from your school administrator, and the approval letter goes in with your application. Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and the page says not to plan evening practices or performances, especially in the second half of the session.

Iowa

One application covers the Iowa House, the Senate and the Legislative Services Agency, and you're placed with one of them. You'll need a written statement, at least one recommendation letter from someone outside your family, a transcript, a signed school administrator form and a letter from your parents that confirms your housing. Interviews are held in person at the Capitol October 26-29, 2026. Iowa law has schools award credit for the program, and it counts as one-half unit of social studies credit. You still have to arrange your coursework with your school, since you'll miss a semester of regular classes.

Montana and South Dakota

Both states run pages through legislators. In Montana, each representative can recommend two students per session, and each senator one student and one alternate, and designations are processed in the order received. Pages serve one week, from Monday morning to the close of Saturday's floor session. The page says they get to meet the governor, the secretary of state and other officials. South Dakota's application needs three signatures: your principal or superintendent, a sponsoring legislator and a parent. You serve in the chamber where your sponsor serves, and you'll need a cover letter and at least two letters of recommendation. You rank five terms, which run from mid-January to mid-March and are subject to change.

Minnesota, Washington and Virginia

Minnesota's House program brings juniors to Saint Paul for a week, and students are selected each fall through an application, a faculty recommendation and an essay. Washington pages must have parent permission, a teacher recommendation and a legislator sponsor, and you can page only once, in either the Senate or the House. Virginia's programs are for younger students and ask the most of families: House pages live in a hotel for the whole session with chaperones and a mandatory evening study hall, and they can't take part in weekly school activities. House applicants are usually told before Thanksgiving. Senate pages must be 13 or 14 on the first day of session and Virginia residents. They stay in a hotel from Sunday evening to Friday noon each week, and decisions usually come in mid-December.

Mississippi

Mississippi's page program runs through 4-H. Mississippi State University Extension's Center for Government and Community Development coordinates it with 4-H Youth Development and the offices of the governor, the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House. Applicants must be in a Mississippi 4-H club, be 14-17 as of January 1, be in high school and have at least a B average. If you're in 4-H, contact the center through the program page for the next application.

Youth Legislatures: Writing the Bills Yourself

A page supports lawmakers. A youth legislature makes you one, or lets you practice being one.

  • Nevada Youth Legislature: a two-year program created by state law. Each of Nevada's 21 state senators appoints a youth legislator for their district, and you apply to represent the senatorial district where you live or go to high school. Each term, the youth legislature presents one bill to the Nevada Legislature on an issue important to Nevada youth.
  • YMCA Youth and Government: state programs run model legislatures and courts. The national state directory links each state's program. In Minnesota, the YMCA North's Youth in Government has registration open for a January conference, through local delegations or a statewide delegation. In Washington, the YMCA Youth Legislature has middle and high school students take the roles of representatives and senators in Olympia. Each state program also picks its own delegates for national events, including the Conference on National Affairs, held the first week of July in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
  • Washington Legislative Youth Advisory Council: an advisory council rather than a mock legislature. It describes itself as "Washington's official youth voice," empowered by state law.

How to Put Together a Strong Application

  1. Talk to your school first. Idaho, Iowa and South Dakota all need a school administrator's sign-off, and you'll miss days or weeks of class. Ask your counselor how assignments and tests will work before you apply.
  2. Find your legislators. Montana, South Dakota and Washington pages are sponsored or recommended by a legislator. Use your legislature's "Who represents me?" lookup, then email or call their office early and politely.
  3. Write about why, not just what. Iowa asks for a written statement on why you want to be a page, and South Dakota for a cover letter. Name the issue or process you want to see up close, and connect it to something you've done, such as student council, debate or a letter to a local official.
  4. Plan the practical side. In Idaho, Iowa and Montana, housing and transportation are on your family. In Iowa, your parents' letter has to confirm your housing arrangement.
  5. Mind the calendar. Iowa and Virginia close on October 16, and Idaho on November 20. Washington opens November 1. South Dakota's preferred deadline is October 2.

If Your State Isn't Listed Here

We only list programs we can confirm on an official page, so this guide skips states whose page program we haven't verified. That doesn't mean your state lacks one. Search your legislature's website for "page program" or "youth legislature," or call your own state representative's office and ask. Other civics options work anywhere: see our civics programs guide, browse public policy programs and law programs, and use our guide to finding extracurriculars in your state. Save the programs you choose to the Activities Builder so the October deadlines don't slip past.

Sources

Facts in this article were last reviewed against these sources on . Programs change their dates and prices; confirm on the official page before you apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a legislative page do?

Pages support legislators and staff while the legislature is in session. The official pages describe delivering messages, running errands, making copies, distributing bills and amendments, helping set up committee meetings and, in some states, working on the chamber floor or running livestream technology for committees. Several programs add classes on state government, such as Washington's Page School.

Are state legislative pages paid?

Many are. Idaho House pages earn $14.55 an hour, Iowa pages about $11.55 an hour for a 40-hour week, Montana pages minimum wage, and Washington pages a $67-a-day stipend. Virginia House pages hold a paid position of about 40 hours a week. Minnesota's House program is not a job: it covers lodging and gives a small meal stipend. Housing and travel are often the family's responsibility, so read each program's page.

How old do you have to be to be a legislative page?

It varies a lot by state. Virginia's House and Senate programs take 13- and 14-year-olds, and Washington's takes ages 14 through 16. Iowa, Montana and South Dakota take juniors and seniors, with Iowa and Montana requiring age 16. Idaho's House program is only for seniors ages 17 to 19, and Minnesota's House program is for juniors.

Is the Nevada Youth Legislature the same as a page program?

No. Pages work for the legislature during its session. The Nevada Youth Legislature is a two-year program in which each of Nevada's 21 state senators appoints a high school student to represent their district, and the youth legislators present one bill per term to the Nevada Legislature on an issue important to Nevada youth.

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