NYPIRG'S LEGISLATIVE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION: The 2008 NYPIRG Legislative Internship Program begins the week of January 7th in Albany. Interns are required to make a commitment of a minimum of forty hours a week to the program. The program is directed by NYPIRG's Legislative Director and Legislative Counsel, who have primary responsibility for supervising the interns' daily activities. Stipends are available for each intern selected for the program

PROGRAM: Interns will be chosen for the program through a competitive selection process based on several criteria, including academic preparation and achievement, NYPIRG experience, and a personal interview. Applicants need not have previous NYPIRG experience. Intern training will begin with a two-week orientation on the state legislative process and on NYPIRG's issues. Individual conferences and group meetings will be conducted regularly to clarify goals and objectives. Each intern must research and track one or two pieces of legislation as his/her primary responsibility and is also assigned a broad issue area in which to track relevant bills.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Assigned issue areas attempt to take into account students' experience, abilities and interests. Each assignment demands a variety of legislative responsibilities. Duties typically include:

Research on pending or proposed legislation
Meeting with legislators and their staffs
Tracking legislation in committee and on the floor
Writing bill memoranda
Drafting and researching reports, surveys and newsletter articles
Building coalitions among other interest and community groups
Consulting with NYPIRG lawyers and advocates to gain technical and legal assistance
Providing legislative updates for campus chapters
Holding speaking engagements on issue areas of expertise

EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT: Workshops, seminars, discussion groups, and reading and writing assignments are provided throughout the program. They feature NYPIRG legislative and issue experts, as well as legislators, their aides and leaders of other public interest groups. Workshop topics include the following and more: Overview of NYPIRG's Legislative Agenda; Public Interest Lobbies; Structure and Function of the State Legislature; How a Bill Becomes a Law; Mass Media in New York State; the Politics of New York State; Time Planning; Legal Research; Public Speaking and Coalition Building.

ACADEMIC CREDIT: Interns typically receive 12-15 hours of academic credit for the internship and are responsible for securing this credit themselves, via independent study or the equivalent.

REQUIRED READING: Readings from this list will be assigned to give each intern a broad perspective on the state legislative process and current issues. Interns will be required to supplement this list by reading the daily papers and viewing "Inside Albany" and “New York Week In Review” on public television.

Stonecash, et al: Governing New York State
Matthews, Hardball
Rosen, Slocum, From Rocky To Pataki
Monmonier, Bushmanders & Bullwinkles
Kingdon, Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policy
Rosenthal, Heavy Lifting
McDonough, Experiencing Politics
Ward: New York State Government: What It Does, How It Works
NYPIRG: Legislative Internship Resource Manual

EVALUATIONS: Overall intern performance is rated by the Legislative Director. The campus faculty advisor(s) will receive a final evaluation that summarizes the quality of each intern's performance in all areas of the internship, including academic and written.

The internship begins on January 7th, 2008. The internship typically ends during the last week of June.

You can obtain a copy of NYPIRG's Legislative Internship application by completing the form below: