Olympia, Wash. – Paul David (PD) Buri, a freshman at Colfax High School, served as a Senate page during the week of March 13-17. He was sponsored by Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville.
Buri was one of 14 students who served as Senate pages during the 10th week of the 2023 legislative session.
“My dad is a lobbyist and so he told me about the page program. I thought it would be a great opportunity if I decided to pursue politics later in life,” Buri said.
The Senate Page Program gives Washington students ages 14-16 an opportunity to spend one week working in the Legislature. During their time at the Capitol, pages are responsible for transporting documents between offices, as well as delivering mail and messages. Pages often spend time working in the Senate chamber when they are not transporting documents. They attend page school to learn about parliamentary procedure and the legislative process. During the week, pages work together to draft their own bills and engage in a mock legislative session.
This week Buri worked on a mock bill that would require all on-duty officers to wear a body camera. To fund this proposal, the cost of traffic citations, such as a speeding ticket, would double for repeat offenders.
“I have really enjoyed my week here at the Capitol, everyone is so nice,” Buri said. “If you have the opportunity to become page, it is a really enriching program and I would highly recommend it.”
“It was a pleasure having PD as my page this past week. He is very passionate about learning and a very kind young man,” Schoesler said.
In his free time, Buri enjoys spending time outdoors and playing basketball. He is also an avid collector, with coins being his favorite. He hopes to attend Eastern Washington University and become a marine biologist.
Buri, 15, is the son of David and Becky Buri of Colfax.