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Commonwealth Relations

Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Legislative Fellowship Program

Background

The Legislative Fellowship Program, sponsored by the Bipartisan Management Committee of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, was begun in 1982 to provide students from the 14 state-owned and four state-related universities a unique combination of education, work experience and insight into the people, issues and politics of the legislative process.

Term and Academic Credit

The Fellowship Program is scheduled two times during the year and runs concurrently with the Spring and Fall terms. The length of the term is approximately 13 weeks. Academic credit for the internship is set by the individual institutions.

Eligibility

Any second-term junior or senior at any of the participating universities may apply. Students of all academic majors are welcome, although applicants must be in good academic standing with a recommended grade point average of 3.0. Applicants should have strong writing skills and considerable research experience.

Recruitment and Selection Criteria

Intial recruitment and applicant screening is conducted on each campus and must be coordinated through each school's designated campus coordinator. All applications must be sent to the campus coordinator who, in turn, will recommend two candidates each term.

Campus coordinators forward the applications to the Bipartisan Management Committee office for review. Personal interviews with each of the candidates are conducted in Harrisburg with the Directors of the Bipartisan Management Committee and the Fellowship Coordinator. (Travel expenses are the responsibility of the candidate.)

No more than five students are chosen to participate each term.

Stipend

Fellows receive a monthly stipend of $1050 paid semi-monthly ($525 each pay period). Federal, State, Local and FICA taxes are withheld. No benefits are included in the stipend.

Housing

Procurement of housing is the responsibility of the student.

Placement and Supervision

Fellows are assigned full-time to either a House Member's office staff, committee staff, research office or public information office. Duties vary, but typically include:

• Attending committee meetings/hearings
• Handling constituent inquiries
• Conducting research at various levels of complexity

In addition to the student's responsibilities to his or her full-time placement, weekly one-hour workshops and other assignments are given by the Bipartisan Management Committee office. Typical workshop topics include:

• The role of the Legislative Reference Bureau
• How to develop a bill analysis
• The administration of the caucuses
• Rules of the House
• The role of the lobbyist
• Press relations
• Other assignments include developing a bill analysis and developing an original piece of legislation.

Contact

For more information, contact:

Nedra Dugan
Fellowship Coordinator, Bipartisan Management Committee Pennsylvania
House of Representatives
132 Main Capitol
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0028
(717) 787-2583

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