When the state legislature convenes in January, lawmakers will need plenty of help. Rep. Reuven Carlyle is encouraging local teens to apply to become a House page for one week, which will give them an inside look at government.

Pages do a variety of tasks, including passing out copies of amendments, presenting ceremonial flags, and delivering notes to lawmakers on the House floor.

Carlyle himself got his start in state government by serving in the state House’s page program. He also served as a page in Congress for former Washington Senators Warren Magnuson and Henry Jackson.

“It’s a great honor to have outstanding youth from around the state come to Olympia and get involved,” said Carlyle, D-Seattle. “Walking on the floor as the House debates important issues, like education funding and graduation requirements, is an experience pages won’t forget. These youth will become our next generation of leaders and lawmakers.”

Students must be between 14 and 16, and have permission from a parent or guardian, as well as permission from their school. Pages are paid $35 per day. Housing and transportation are the page’s responsibility, but the House will provide a list of private housing options in Olympia.

Interested students should contact Rep. Reuven Carlyle’s office for more information: (206) 216-3184 or reuven.carlyle@leg.wa.gov. The 2011 legislative session runs Jan. 10 through April 24.

Update: The House passed the bill Thursday night. It now goes to the governor to sign. You can read the entire bill here (.pdf). Phinney Neighborhood Association Executive Director Lee Harper tells me the bill will save the PNA about $30,000 a year.

Earlier: The Washington State Senate has approved a bill, co-sponsored by 36th District senator Jeanne Kohls-Wells (D-Seattle), that would give some tax relief to centers that operate out of former school facilities, like the Phinney Neighborhood Association and Crown Hill Small Faces Child Care Center.

According to a release sent out by the Washington State Democrats, “Senate Bill 6855 provides a property tax exemption to neighborhood community centers that are housed in a building that was determined to be no longer needed by school districts and now owned by nonprofit organizations and used to deliver coordinated services for community members. The measure also applies the leasehold excise tax to the rental property within these community centers, making the measure revenue positive.”

“Our focus this session has been on plugging our budget hole in a way that least harms our communities and our families. This measure helps organizations, such as Crown Hill Small Faces Child Care Center and Phinney Neighborhood Center, providing vital services and relief to our neighbors with only positive results to the state’s coffers,” said Sen. Kohl-Welles. The bill is currently being discussed by the House Finance Committee.