Colfax teen serves as Senate Page

COLFAX - Local teen, and freshman at Colfax High School, Paul David (PD) Buri, son of David and Becky Buri, served as a Senate page during the week of March 13 through 17 sponsored by Sen. Mark Schoeseler, R-Ritzville.

Buri was one of 14 students to serve as a Senate page during the tenth week of the 2023 legislative session.

"My dad is a lobbyist and so he told me about the page program," Buri said, noting that he thought it would be a great opportunity if he decided to pursue politics later in life.

This week Buri was able to work on a mock bill that would require all on-duty officers to wear a body camera. To fund the proposal, the cost of traffic citation, 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 a 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," Sen. Mark Schoesler said.

Buri enjoys spending time outdoors, and playing basketball in his free time. As well as an avid collector of coins. Buri hopes to attend Eastern Washington University to become a marine biologist.

The Senate Page Program allows Washington students ages 14 to 16 the opportunity to spend a week working in the Legislature. Pages are responsible for transporting documents between offices, and delivering mail and messages. Pages attend page school to learn about parliamentary procedure and the legislative process, and often spend time working in the Senate chamber when not transporting documents. They work together to draft their own bills and engage in a mock legislative session during the week.