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States' Legislative Internship Programs and Coordinators

Listing: Legislative Internship Programs by State, U.S. Territories & Canada

NCSL Contacts

For general questions related to legislative internships, please contact Karl Kurtz, Director of NCSL's Trust for Representative Democracy or Joyce Johnson, or call NCSL (303) 364-7700.

Email Updates to Joyce Johnson
Last updated November 21, 2012

Overview

Legislative internships are mutually beneficial because they provide interns with valuable, first-hand experience in the legislative process and they provide state legislatures with bright, enthusiastic people who are excited to learn about the intricate world of public policy. Although many internships are offered during the summer, others are available year-round. Some offer pay, while others do not, and some entail more responsibility than others, but they all provide the opportunity to:

Gain exposure to a wide variety of occupations
Apply classroom knowledge
Develop additional skills
Examine career choices
Create a network of contacts

Application Procedures

Many internship programs are very competitive, with large numbers of applicants applying for a small number of internships. It is advisable to start the application process early and pay great attention to detail. Many internship and fellowship programs require an application, a resumé and several essays. Post-graduate fellowships often seek applicants with strong skills in research, writing and analysis. Additionally, previous work experience that shows an ability to work well with others and examples of initiative, motivation and enthusiasm should be mentioned in essays and interviews. Such experiences may include some or all of the following:

Volunteer and community activities
Leadership roles in student organizations
Previous internships and employment

Legislative Internship Programs

The following list of internships provides a comprehensive overview of legislative internship and fellowship opportunities nationwide and in many U.S. territories. E-mail contacts are available where listed. Please send any updates for this file to Joyce Johnson.

States

AL | AK | AZ | AR | CA | CO | CT | DE | DC | FL | GA | HI | ID | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY | LA | ME | MD | MA | MI | MN | MS | MO | MT | NE | NV | NH | NJ | NM | NY | NC | ND | OH | OK | OR | PA | RI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT | VT | VA | WA | WV | WI | WY

U.S. Territories & Canada

State	Web Sites and Contacts
Alabama	The Alabama Legislative Page Program www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/guide/student_teacher/page.html Capital Intern Program Contact Robert L. McCurley rmccurle@law.au.edu
Alaska	The Alaska Universities Legislative Internship Program http://www.uas.alaska.edu/internprogram/ Contact Clive Thomas Statewide Program Coordinator Political Science, University of Alaska Southeast Juneau, AK 99801 (907) 465-5381 jfcst@uas.alaska.edu
Arizona	Arizona Legislature http://www.azleg.gov/internshipintropage.htm Contacts Kathi Knox Intern Coordinator Arizona Legislature kknox@azleg.gov Arizona State University www.asu.edu/provost/gov_intern/legislature.html Contact Diana O'Dell Intern Coordinator Arizona House of Representatives dodell@azleg.gov
Arkansas	Entrepreneurial Arkansas Internship Program http://gradschool.ualr.edu/entrepreneurial_arkansas.htm
California	The Jesse Marvin Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program www.csus.edu/calst/Programs/programs.html Contact Pam Chueh, Director Assembly Fellowship Program, Center for California Studies California State University, Sacramento 6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6081 (916) 278-6906 pam.chueh@csus.edu Capital Fellows Programs, Center for California Studies, California State University, Sacramento www.csus.edu/calst/Programs/programs.html Contacts David Pacheco, Director California Senate Fellows State Capitol, Room 405 Sacramento, CA 95814 916-651-4160 dpacheco@saclink.csus.edu Center for California Studies Sacramento State University 6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6081 916- 278-5408 Sacramento Semester Internship Program, Department of Government, California State University, Sacramento www.csus.edu/govt/Pages/sacsemester.htm Contact Professor Michael Wadle, Director wadlem@csus.edu (916) 278-4012 UC Center, Sacramento, Scholar Intern Program http://uccs.universityofcalifornia.edu/ Contact Erika Peters, Internship Director University of California Center Sacramento 1130 K Street, LL22 Sacramento, CA 95814 Direct: 916-445-5533 Main Office: 916-445-5100 Mobile: 916-267-3066 Fax: 916-445-5536 Erika.Peters@ucop.edu
Colorado	Office of Legislative Legal Services: Internship Program http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/olls/HTML/internship_program.htm Contacts Jery Payne, Internship Coordinator jery.payne@state.co.us Michael Dohr, Internship Coordinator michael.dohr@state.co.us
Connecticut	Legislative Internship Program http://www.cga.ct.gov/isc/ Contact Arthur C. Forst Jr., Ph.D Arthur.Forst@po.state.ct.us
Delaware	Legislative Fellows Program www.ipa.udel.edu/legfellows/ Contact Lisa Moreland lisamk@udel.edu
District of Columbia	Youth Legislative Internship Program (currently in planning stages) Contacts Cedric L. Jennings Director Office of Youth Programs Direct Line: 202-724-8161 Fax: 202-347-3070 cjennings@dccouncil.us Cindy Diggs Program Manager Office of Youth Programs Council of the District of Columbia 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20004-3089 Direct Line: 202-727-6132 Fax: 202-347-3070 cdiggs@dccouncil.us
Florida	Legislative Internship Program Contact Beverly Broussard House of Represenatives beverly.broussard@myfloridahouse.gov Florida Senate Internship Program Contact JoAnn Poole Office of the Senate President-Administration (850) 487-5636 or SC 277-5636 poole.joann@flsenate.gov
Georgia	Georgia Legislative Intern Program http://www.cviog.uga.edu/services/education/glip/index.php Georgia State University Legislative Budget Fellowship Department of Political Science Internships
Hawaii	University of Hawaii (UH) (HTML) State Legislative Intern Program: What Applicants Need to Know (PDF) The House and the Senate participate in an intern program sponsored by the University of Hawaii (UH). The program is for one semester, which coincides with the legislative session [January thru the beginning of May]. The students are then placed in leadership or committee offices. Eligible participants must be enrolled at the University of Hawaii for at least one paid semester.
Idaho	Department of Political Science Internship Program Boise State University http://polisci.boisestate.edu/intern.shtml
Illinois	Illinois Legislative Staff Intern Program University of Illinois at Springfield http://ilsip.uis.edu/ Contact Barbara Van Dyke-Brown Director, Legislative Internships and Advocacy Programs Institute for Legal, Legislative and Policy Studies 1 University Plaza, MS PAC 451 Springfield, IL 62703-5407 (217) 206-6579 FAX (217) 206-7397 vandykebrown.barbara@uis.edu
Indiana	Senate Republican Legislative Internship http://www.in.gov/legislative/senate_republicans/internship/ Political Science Internships Department of Political Science at Indiana University http://www.iupui.edu/~polisci/intern.htm
Iowa	Legislative Internship Programs Legislative Page Program (PDF) Senate Democrats (HTML)
Kansas	Kansas Legislative Internship Program Contact Jenna Keesling Director, Kansas Legislative Intern Program jennak@house.state.ks.us
Kentucky	The 2012 LRC Legislative Intern Program LRC Internship Contact Sheila Mason sheila.mason@lrc.state.ky.us Kentucky Legislative Internship Program
Louisiana	Information Pending
Maine	State Government Summer Internship Program www.umaine.edu/mcsc/MeSGIP.htm
Maryland	General Assembly Internships Contact Peggy Schmeltzer pegs@mlis.state.md.us
Massachusetts	Contacts Anne Ziaja, Director Legislative Education Office (617) 722-1380 Anne.Ziaja@state.ma.us Susan A. Wojtas Deputy Director Legislative Education Office 617-722-1380 Susan.Wojtas@state.ma.us
Michigan	Information Pending
Minnesota	www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/youth/getinvolved.htm www.house.leg.state.mn.us/edprog/intern.htm www.house.leg.state.mn.us/edprog/over2p.htm www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/intern.htm Senate Internship Contact Scott Magnuson scott.magnuson@senate.leg.state.mn.us
Mississippi	Information Pending
Missouri	Civic Leaders Internship Program Contact (pending)
Montana	Montana Legislative Council--Legislative Intern Program http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/60th/sessionstudent.asp Contact Executive Director Susan Fox (406) 444-3064 sfox@mt.gov The Legislative Audit Division Internship Program http://leg.state.mt.us/textonly/audit/intern-fc.asp
Nebraska	Information Pending
Nevada	Legislative Internships Offered to UNLV Students www.unlv.edu/News_Bureau/News_Releases/1994/Oct94/INTERN.html
New Hampshire	New Hampshire Senate Contact Donna Morin Intern Supervisor donna.morin@leg.state.nh.us
New Jersey	The Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers http://www.eagleton.rutgers.edu/Students/HRFellowsProgram.html Eagleton Institute Contact John Weingart johnwein@rci.rutgers.edu Legislative Services Contact Hannah Shostack HShostack@njleg.org
New Mexico	Information Pending
New York	Government Internships www.oneonta.edu/academics/polsci/interns.html
North Carolina	UNC Institute of Government Summer Intern Program www.iog.unc.edu/programs/interns/index.html North Carolina Youth Advocacy & Involvement Office (YAIO) State Government Internship Program House Internship Contact Patrick Clancy (919) 733-3451 Clancypatrickc@ncleg.net Senate Internship Contact Joyce Hodge (919) 733-5649 joyceh@ncleg.net
North Dakota	State Internship Program http://www.state.nd.us/hrms/hr/intern.htm
Ohio	Legislative Service Commission: LSC Legislative Fellowship Program http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/fellowship/default.htm Columbus Program In intergovernmental Issues: Internships Linking University Students to Ohio's State Government http://dept.kent.edu/CPII/ Legislation Clinic Contact lawlegis@osu.edu
Oklahoma	Legislative Internship Contact Fran Little little@lsb.state.ok.us
Oregon	Legislative Intern Program www.leg.state.or.us/capinfo/intern.html Contact Employee Services 140B State Capitol, Salem, OR 97301 Intern Coordinator (503) 986-1371
Pennsylvania	House of Representatives Legislative Fellowship Program http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/bmc/fellowship2.cfm Archival Internship Program http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/bmc/archival.cfm Contact Michael King mking@legis.state.pa.us
Rhode Island	State Government Internship Program www.rilin.state.ri.us/studteaguide/intern.html Contact State House Room 8AA Providence, RI 02903 401-222-6782 401-222-4447 intern@rilin.state.ri.us
South Carolina	Contacts Jeffrey S. Gossett Clerk of the Senate (803) 212-6200 (803) 212-6299 JSG@scsenate.org Internship Program University of South Carolina John Hazzard Chief Counsel to President Pro Tempore jph@scsenate.org
South Dakota	Legislative Intern Information http://legis.state.sd.us/intern/index.htm Legislative Page Information http://legis.state.sd.us/page/index.htm
Tennessee	Legislative Internship Program http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/joint/Staff/Intern/intern.htm Contact Donna Morgan Administrator (615) 741-3299 donna.morgan@capitol.tn.gov
Texas	Information Pending Contact Renee Cross rcross@uh.edu
Utah	Utah State Legislature Intern Program http://www.le.utah.gov/lrgc/internprogram.htm The University of Utah provides interns from the Hinckley Institute of Politics http://www.hinckley.utah.edu/internships/state/index.html Institute of Political Economy's Internship Program www.usu.edu/~polisci/inter.htm
Vermont	U. S. Senator Patrick Leahy: Office Internship www.senate.gov/~leahy/text/office/internship.html
Virginia	Virginia House of Delegates Internship Program Student Programs-House Internship Contact For more information, call 804-698-1497 Senate Internship Program Contact Nathan Hatfield nhatfield@senate.virginia.gov
Washington	Legislative Internship Program http://www1.leg.wa.gov/internships/ House Undergraduate Internship Contact Paula Rehwaldt Paula.Rehwaldt@leg.wa.gov House Graduate/Legal Internship Contact Chris Cordes cordes.chris@leg.wa.gov Senate Undergraduate Internship Contact Senate Graduate/Legal Internship Contact Judy Rus Rus.judy@leg.wa.gov Judi Best Best.judi@leg.wa.gov
West Virginia	Legislature Internship Program Graduate Student Program Contact Sam Gray graysa@mail.wvnet.edu Undergraduate Student Program Contact Sara DeBarr sara@mail.wvnet.edu Journalism Student Program Contact William Thomas wthomas1@mail.wvnet.edu
Wisconsin	Contact Cathlene Hanaman cathlene.hanaman@legis.state.wi.us
Wyoming	Wyoming Legislative Internship Program http://legisweb.state.wy.us/leginfo/internProgram/internprogram.htm Contact Wendy Madsen, Legislative Information Officer Wyoming Legislative Service Office Telephone: 307-777-7881 wmadse@state.wy.us

U.S. Territories & Canada

American Samoa	Information Pending
British Columbia	Legislative Internship Program http://www.leg.bc.ca/info/bclip/index.asp
Canada	Ontario Legislature Internship Program http://www.angelfire.com/mt/internships/222.htm Parliament of Canada-Youth and Internship Programs www.parl.gc.ca/common/AboutParl_Youth.asp?Language=E
Guam	Information Pending
Puerto Rico	Information Pending
Quebec	Information Pending
Virgin Islands	Currently there are no formal or informal legislative internship programs.

Compiled February-June, 2001, NCSL
Posted July 29, 2001
Last updated November 21, 2012 (updates ongoing)

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Welcome Legislative Staff

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As one of the nation’s 20,000 plus legislative staff, you are automatically a member of NCSL. NCSL is an organization of both legislators and legislative staff; staff play a key role in its governance. Three of the seven NCSL officers are legislative staff, and 20 legislative staff serve on the Executive Committee. In addition, staff serve along with legislators as members of the 12 Standing Committees of NCSL.

We offer a personal connection to NCSL and the nation's best policy experts. Your state has an NCSL staff liaison who will help you find the information you need, help you understand all the NCSL resources at your fingertips, and visit your state to meet with you.

For state legislators and legislative staff, we provide unmatched services. You will find access to these services on this Legislative Staff portal. You will need to register to take full advantage of the site.

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A key role of NCSL is to monitor federal policy and its effects on states. Standing Committees include legislators and legislative staff, and provide a unique opportunity to exchange information and experiences.

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Staff Sections and Networks allow you to meet and interact with colleagues across the country who have jobs similar to yours.You can discuss political hot topics and policies and exchange ideas on issues facing our legislatures today.

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States' Legislative Internship Programs and Coordinators

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Related Links

NCSL Contacts

Overview

Application Procedures

Legislative Internship Programs

U.S. Territories & Canada

Welcome Legislative Staff

Research and Contacts

Meetings, Seminars and e-Learning

State-Federal Relations

Staff Sections and Networks

Other Resources