Although it would be impractical to have most Senate elevators operated automatically during the daytime, I recommend that they should all be equipped with automation. This would provide a sufficient level of service during the evening, except when the Senate is actually sitting, and tend to reduce the number of operators on the evening shift. PAGES (Employees of the Sergeant at Arms) Senate pages are appointed under the patronage system and, by resolution of the Senate, are required to be 14 years old and not over 17, except when their 17th birthday occurs during a school session in which event they are permitted to finish the school term. The general and principal duties of Senate pages are to wait on Senators in and around the Senate Chamber and to run errands for them. Most of the boys are required to sit on steps on each side of the rostrum while the Senate is actually sitting. From there, when a Senator snaps his fingers or motions, a page goes quickly to him for the Senator's instructions. The requests of Senators extend over a wide range and usually time is of the essence. The page is asked to bring a copy of a particular bill or one of an amendment then being presented by the offering Senator; to bring a glass of water, a particular newspaper, sharpen a pencil, return the Senator's transcript of debate to the Official Reporters' office, to get or take a book to the Senate Library, to take material to the Senator's office, or perhaps to get the Senator something from the restaurant for him to consume in the cloakroom. The boys are also kept busy looking for Senators to notify them of telephone calls from their families, homes, and others seeking them around the Senate Chamber. Prior to the convening of the Senate each day the pages must work 2 or more hours in preparing the Senators' desks and arranging things elsewhere in anterooms. One copy of each piece of legislation offered for printing the day before, as well as the Congressional Record containing the proceedings of the preceding day, must be laid on each of the 100 desks. A copy of the unfinished business and any other bill which is scheduled to be taken up, including reports on those bills and all printed hearings on them, must be laid on each desk before the session starts. The Record that was on the desk the day before must be placed in a looseleaf binder kept under the desk. A calendar file, also kept under the desk, must have a copy of each bill and its report when the bill is reported from the committee and placed on the calendar. Each time a bill is passed by the Senate the pages must strip off that bill from the calendar file under each desk. Several kinds of folded Senate note paper and envelopes to match, and all other items which must be straightened and replaced on writing tables, must be looked after by pages. The tables are located in the two cloakrooms, the marble room, and the lobby. Although it has always been intended that pages serve only Senators and not their office staff members, many times a day pages are requested to pick up things in offices of various Senators and deliver them to other offices. In recent years, a few Senators and Members of the House have advocated increasing the age limit for pages to eliminate high school students and make it possible to employ only college students. The proponents base their proposal on the ground that more mature boys can live in Washington, away from home without supervision or parental companionship and control, without being as easily tempted or led astray. Regardless of the merits of the older or college student, it is my opinion that boys from 14 to 17 are much better for the type of work involved than are boys from 18 to 21 or 22. In the latter age bracket, while attending college, boys would not be as agile in moving in and out among Senators' desks on the Senate floor and they would not be nearly as proficient in running little errands quickly or in performing simple functions neatly and efficiently. Examples appear above. The dignity of the Senate is a consideration also. It would be markedly lessened if almost grown men were to sit on the rostrum steps and move all around the well and other portions of the Chamber much more in the way than boys under 17 years of age. A much more appropriate and effective change would be to improve the living conditions of pages under the current age limits instead of employing college students. In 1955 I interested the late Senator Olin D. Johnston of South Carolina in a proposal to house the pages, including their schoolrooms, in one building under the control of resident supervisors who would regulate the off-duty activities of the pages. Senator Johnston introduced a bill that same year for that purpose but it was never formally considered by the Commitee on Rules and Administration to which it was referred. Several similar bills were introduced in both the 88th and 89th Congresses. In the spring of 1963 the Senate Committee on Public Works considered S. 1847, a bill to provide a residence and classrooms for congressional and Supreme Court pages. The Sergeant at Arms' written report appears on pages 26 and 27 of the committee's printed hearings, a copy of which is attached for this committee's convenience. The bill S. 1847 was favorably reported to the Senate and placed on the calendar but was never considered by the Senate. The bill introduced in this Congress is identical to the one as reported by the committee last Congress. (The report on S. 1847 above referred to is as follows:) U.S. SENATE, OFFICE OF THE SERGEANT 'AT ARMS, Hon. PAT MCNAMARA, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Especially do I appreciate your request that I furnish the Committee on Public Works my views on S. 1847, a bill to provide a residence for congressional and Supreme Court pages introduced by Senator Yarborough, because the Senate pages are appointed and supervised under my jurisdiction. I sincerely advocate a Government-regulated home for the pages. In fact, for nearly 10 years I have, at times, informally sought to stimulate senatorial interest in establishing quarters to house pages. Senator Olin D. Johnston introduced such a bill on February 8, 1955, which was referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. Later, on January 22, 1957, the Senator reintroduced his bill S. 733, at the beginning of the new Congress. Representative Charles E. Bennett, of Florida, introduced one in 1955 identical, except in arrangement, to those of Senator Johnston. The respective committees did not consider any of them. The current bill is, in most respects, identical to the earlier measures. However, one major feature contained in those has been omitted in the present bill which, in my opinion, should be included in S. 1847. The lacking provision would authorize the acceptance of voluntary contributions to be used toward or for the entire acquisition and construction of the proposed residence. The pertinent language employed in the previous legislation is as follows: "The Board is authorized to accept voluntary contributions to be used for the purchase or construction of a residence for pages. Such contributions shall be kept in a separate fund by the Secretary of the Senate, and shall be used for such purpose when the Board determines that the fund is sufficient for that purpose." In my opinion, the authority for contributions is important as in all probability the Government would not need to invest much, if anything, to provide the building and, therefore, avoid furnishing more fringe benefits to pages than the other legislative employees. I believe some of the Nation's large foundations or philanthropic organizations would be pleased to have the opportunity, with some appropriate credit for their endowment, to give substantial amounts. This should be so without question, if they would be invited to donate by the proposed Board to consist of two Senators, two Members of the House of Representatives and either the Chief Justice of the United States or an Associate Justice. If, as may be the case, contributions should exceed the original cost of the property and equipment, provision could be made in the bill whereby the Board would be authorized and directed to invest the surplus and use the income in connection with annual maintenance and operation. Should that be the case, the monthly charge to pages personally for room and board could be more reasonable than if the entire facility operating costs had to be borne by those residing in it. In any event, the operation of the home ought to be on a self-sustaining basis. There are a few technicalities in the bill which I hope will be perfected. In section 1, it is proposed that the Board be comprised of two Senators, two Members of the House of Representatives, and two Justices of the Supreme Court. As there are roughly 75 congressional pages and only 4 Supreme Court page positions, it would seem that not more than 1 Justice should serve. Furthermore, the vote of a five-member Board could not result in a tie. In section 4, line 11, the word "clerk" should be changed to "marshal" due to the fact that the Court pages' salaries are disbursed by the marshal and not the clerk. My reasons for urging the creation of a home for the pages cannot be stated more aptly or succinctly than those of Senator Olin D. Johnston expressed on the Senate floor when he introduced the 1955 bill and said, in part, as follows: "Under the present setup, the pages have living quarters scattered over the city. Not only are some of these young men paying exorbitant rents, but they are in many cases exposed to the evils of a large city. We in the Congress have appointed these young men to leave their homes and travel to this city and live here many months of each year. We should feel a bit of responsibility toward them and their families back home. I feel that it is our duty and moral obligation to establish such a residence board which would in turn acquire a home near the Capitol in which the pages would live under adult supervision. My proposal would require that the pages pay rent as they now do; therefore, the home would be self-sustaining. I am sure that the parents of the pages would thank the U.S. Congress for legislation of this kind." I assume you will not hesitate to let me know if there should be any further assistance that I may render to aid in the early enactment of the bill. With kind regards. Sincerely, JOSEPH C. DUKE, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS I sincerely recommend and urge the authorization and funds to establish a well-supervised pages' dormitory and school building. Each individual boy could be charged an amount to cover room and board, which would make the building self-sustaining and at the same time cost no more than is now being expended by a page to live in a roominghouse and eat in restaurants. Experience over the years has proved that there is no way to guide or control a young boy's off-duty behavior when he is residing in an ordinary rooming or boarding house. My alternative recommendation is that, if the dormitory and school building is not to be provided, there should be a requirement, either by statute or order of the Senate, making it mandatory that no boy shall be a Senate page unless he is actually residing in his own home which, obviously, would cause at least one of his parents to live within the Washington metropolitan area. Boys under 17 years of age should not be completely on their own. Exposure to various temptations has worked serious detriment on the later lives on some pages in the past. PARKING GARAGE FOR EMPLOYEES FOR A MONTHLY FEE TO PROVIDE SURFACE AREA PARKING FOR VISITORS Visitors, both tourists and those who come to conduct business, find it almost impossible to park any automobile in the Capitol Hill area. Proportionately speaking, the problem is one of the severest of its kind in the city. The Senate Committee on Appropriations, during its consideration of the last two fiscal bills for the legislative branch, discussed parking and urged the Sergeant at Arms to make spaces available for the public. Most all of the surface areas have been assigned to Senators and chairmen of committees who designate which of their respective staff members are to use them. Also, members of the four press galleries are assigned a large number of these spaces. Only a very few of the 700 to 800 employees serving the Senate itself are issued permits. The Sergeant at Arms does not have authority to withdraw spaces from Senators, committees, and the press and reassign them for public use. Attached is an excerpt from the printed hearings before the subcommittee considering the Legislative Branch Appropriations, 1966, (pp. 370–372), containing, in part, a letter in which I recommended the construction of an additional parking garage. "PARKING SPACES FOR CAPITOL VISITORS "Senator MONRONEY. I have received a letter from Mr. Duke, to which he attached a letter from Senator Tydings, of Maryland, concerning more spaces for parking automobiles for use by tourists and other visitors on Capitol Hill. Mr. Duke proposes for the committee's consideration that the committee might wish to consider constructing a building containing several floors of automobile parking. "I will insert the letter in the record. "(The letter referred to follows:) "U.S. SENATE, "OFFICE OF THE SERGEANT AT ARMS, "Hon. A. S. MIKE MONRONEY, “Chairman, Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. "DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: A year ago when your subcommittee had under consideration the legislative appropriation bill, 1965, you and other members expressed an interest in making available more spaces for parking automobiles for use by tourists and other visitors seeking to conduct business on Capitol Hill. "In view of that, I am submitting a letter I received a few days ago from Senator Joseph D. Tydings who is of the opinion that more parking should be available for the public, and especially enough to accommodate families and occasional guests of Senators. "It may be that your committee might wish to consider constructing a building of suitable appearance to harmonize with the Capitol Hill buildings, having the interior of it designed for several floors of automobile parking. A great many clerks of Senators and committee staffs could be transferred from surface areas to such a building if it were constructed and thereby make available a large number of surface spaces. Those could then be placed in two categories-one for the public generally and the other under some reserved system for Senators to offer special guests. "With kind regards. "Sincerely, "DEAR JOE: I have been asked on several occasions what kind of parking facilities are available for my family, personal friends, and important guests who visit me in Washington. "Though this is not an everyday occurrence the proximity of my office to these Maryland guests makes it easier for them to drive rather than employ another mode of transportation. They find upon arrival here parking areas all designated, 'Parking by Permit Only.' "Would you please advise me what accommodations could be made only on a temporary basis? "Thanking you for your attention to this matter, I am, "Sincerely, "JOSEPH D. TYDINGS. "U.S. SENATE, "OFFICE OF THE SERGEANT AT ARMS, "Hon. JOSEPH D. TYDINGS, "U.S. Senate, "Washington, D.C. "DEAR SENATOR: Thank you for your letter of May 28, 1965, expressing the difficulty experienced by members of your family and special guests in locating a place to park their automobiles as most of the areas in the Capitol Grounds are designated 'Parking by Permit Only.' I appreciate fully the situation and realize it is one of the most difficult problems on Capitol Hill. "Most all of the spaces, both in the garages and on the grounds, have been divided and assigned to Senators and committee chairmen who designate, respectively, the members of their staffs who are to use them. Also, a large number of spaces on the street are assigned to members of the four press media who regularly cover the Senate every day. A small number of spaces are available for visitors, but the quantity of those is virtually de minimis in comparison to the demand. "Last year when the legislative appropriation bill, 1965, was pending before the Committee on Appropriations, some of its subcommittee members voiced in the open hearings an interest in providing more spaces for the public. In view of that, I am submitting a copy of your letter to the subcommittee for its consideration in connection with the current bill for the next fiscal year. "With kind regards, "Sincerely, "JOSEPH C. DUKE, Sergeant at Arms." The building I proposed in my letter to the Appropriations Committee could be in keeping with other legislative branch structures, and its cost could ultimately be recouped. There is no reason why employees who are privileged to garage their vehicles should not be charged a nominal monthly fee, such as $6 or $7 a month. For years the District of Columbia government has charged its employees $5 per month for a space to park their personal automobiles in the garage under the city's Municipal Center Building. The District even charges employees $5 a month for a specific parking space located on the surface of District government property. The Federal Aviation Agency, now occupying its new building at 800 Independence Avenue SW., recently inaugurated an innovation in employee parking. The underground garage areas were used to park 500 automobiles, considerably less than the demand for parking. A study showed that, if spaces were not assigned and if all cars were parked by trained attendants, 300 additional vehicles could be accommodated, making a total of 800. The Agency contracted with General Services, Inc., to manage the garage. That company sublet to a parking garage management company. Employees of FAA are charged $6.25 per month. Eight carhops are on duty during the morning and afternoon rush periods and four of them remain all day. An FAA official reported that at the close of the first day most all of the 800 cars were on the street in less than 15 minutes. I am advised that the General Services Administration and the District of Columbia Parking Agency have been working together for some time on plans for proposed garage parking for employees in various executive agencies of the Federal Government on a fee basis. Their studies might afford this committee some detailed assistance. (Pictured below are several examples of present surface parking facilities on August 16, 1965:) |