Congressional Internships PDF Print

 

The purpose of the Internship Program is to provide opportunities for college students, recent college graduates and others interested in public service to gain firsthand knowledge of the way in which a Congressional office operates on a daily basis, to observe the legislative process at the federal level, and to develop research skills related to public policy.

The program is structured to provide participants with a full range of opportunities and experiences. Internships can range from 8 weeks to 16 weeks and will be negotiated on an individual basis.

It is often possible to work with college faculty to receive college credit for participation in the internship program. Although neither a salary nor expenses can be paid, my office will be glad to assist in the search for temporary housing in the Washington area.

Opportunities and Responsibilities

Interns perform a variety of tasks depending on the needs of the Congressional office during each period of service and the particular interests and skills of the intern.

The basic internship program is divided into three components:

A. Day-to-day operations - designed to provide the intern with an under- standing of the core functions of daily operation. Responsibilities include assisting full-time staff in responding to various constituent requests, assisting with information inquiries, updating computer databases and drafting general correspondence.

B. Observing legislative process - provides the intern with direct observational experience in the federal legislative process. Responsibilities include attending committee and agency hearings and briefings, assisting full-time staff in preparing summaries, statements and testimony, observing floor proceedings and attending meetings related to specific legislation.

C. Research - gives each intern the opportunity to sharpen research skills related to particular legislation or development of public policy. Responsibilities include assisting full-time staff in developing detailed responses to constituent concerns, legislative issues and policy questions. The intern will be exposed to a variety of primary and second- ary research sources, including the Library of Congress, federal agencies and affiliated organizations.

Those individuals interested in applying for an internship should contact my Intern Coordinator, DuBose Williamson, at (202) 225-3861 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can access the intern application by clicking here: INTERN APPLICATION

 

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