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The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Internships

Legislative interns gain practical experience working for a State Senator, State Representative or a Committee. Interns come from a varied spectrum of academic backgrounds, but internships are typically only available for students pursuing an undergraduate degree or higher. The intern program provides students with a better understanding of public service and the legislative process in Massachusetts. Interns are unpaid volunteers; however, students may be eligible to earn academic credit for their participation by making arrangements through their advisors and professors.

During the summer, interns are invited to attend the Massachusetts Summer Legislative Intern Program, in which there is a nine week speaker series organized exclusively for legislative interns. The lectures are offered Monday through Thursday, with one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Previous presenters have included Governor Charlie Baker, Senate President Karen Spilka, Speaker Robert DeLeo, Attorney General Maura Healey, Treasurer Deb Goldberg, Auditor Suzanne Bump, Governor Michael Dukakis, legislators, advocates, and agency secretaries. There were more than 70 seminars offered during the summer of 2019. The series is bi-partisan and gives an overview of the variety of roles in government and government relations. 

 

To apply for an Intern position in one of the:

Senate Legislative offices, please contact your own Senator (see links below).  The Senate Office of Education and Civic Engagement can answer any questions: email  Anne.Ziaja@masenate.gov  phone 617-722-1380 

House Legislative offices, please contact your State Representative (see links below), or the House Committee on Human Resources and Employee Engagement at 617-722-2380 or via email Erin.Walsh@mahouse.gov."

Applications are being accepted for the spring/summer Internship program.

Senate MembersHouse Members, or Find My Legislator



Internship Responsibilities

Legislative offices are unique and they each have their own set of needs, so an intern’s experience varies by office. The following is an example of possible legislative intern responsibilities:

Legislative Research

Research Bills - the objective is to summarize what the proposal is and who are its proponents and opponents.

Research Issues - your supervisor may have you research legislative issues and issues pertaining to the Legislator’s district.

Attend Hearings - all legislation is heard before committees before coming to the floor for further action.

Observe Floor Action - according to the Constitution of Massachusetts, the Legislature is required to meet in their respective Chambers for either a formal or informal session every 72 hours. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House determine the days and times of the sessions.

Constituent Services

As an intern, you may be asked to work with residents of the communities in the Legislator’s district. This may include assisting constituents in resolving a problem, fielding calls regarding legislative inquires, or drafting correspondence.

Administrative Duties

Other various administrative duties are central to the success of a legislator’s office and may include: answering phones, typing, filing, and preparing mailings, letter writing, copying data and performing office errands and reading and researching state and local news articles.

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