Consultants Richard Shapiro and William Weary will complete a review of the House Page Program, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, and Minority Leader John Boehner, Ohio Republican, said today.

"In addition to bipartisan legislation signed into law last year, updated rules for the Page Program and the House Inspector General's report, this independent review will ensure that a program created in 1827 effectively supports the operations of the House and serves the interests of the pages in 2008," Pelosi and Boehner said in a joint statement.

Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami said the page program hadn't been updated since the early 1980s and that the two men are expected to release their findings sometime this fall. Their contract will be handled by the House clerk's office. Democratic Reps. Dale Kildee of Michigan and Diana DeGette of Colorado and Republican Reps. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina and Rob Bishop of Utah sit on an institutional board overseeing the program.

The page program came under increased scrutiny in 2006 after it was revealed that former Rep. Mark Foley, Florida Republican, had sent sexually explicit messages to young pages. Despite the scandal, last year saw the House Page Program increase in popularity.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times