Teenagers who might know cartoon characters better than they understand state government are among the type that state Sen. Cheryl Pflug hopes want to be a page in the Legislature.

Pflug, who lives in Maple Valley, is inviting students 14 to 16 years old to become Senate pages during the 2009 legislative session, which starts in mid-January and is scheduled to end in April. Her fellow 5th District legislators, Reps. Glenn Anderson and Jay Rodne are doing the same on behalf of the House of Representatives.

One-week stints as pages are a “hands-on opportunity that’s more than a great education. It can be a life-changing experience,” Pflug said. “Many of the people who now work in state government got their first taste of the Legislature as a page.”

According to Pflug, a recent survey of 15 to 26-year-olds found that 80 percent knew the “Simpsons” cartoon family lives in a town called Springfield. They also knew the name of the reigning American Idol winner. But they didn’t know much about their state government, a problem that can be easily remedied by a stint as a Senate page, according to Pflug.

Pages are sponsored by a legislator and are paid $35 a day for delivering messages, handing out documents in the Senate or Hose and running errands. They also spend two hours studying civics and government, and at the end of their week they write and present legislation and role-play as legislators in a mock hearing.

To be sponsored by:

• Pflug, students can apply at www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/StudentsPage by printing an application and sending it to her at 102 Newhouse Building, P.O. Box 40405, Olympia, WA 98504-0405.

• Anderson and Rodne,contact Anderson at (360) 786-7876 and anderson.glenn@leg.wa.gov, or Rodne at (360) 786-7852 and rodne.jay@leg.wa.gov. More information, including an application form, is at http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/PageInternProgram/housepageprogram.htm