Interns are assigned to work with administrative staff within in the House Democratic Offices, Senate Democratic Offices, House Republican Offices or Senate Republican Offices of the Connecticut General Assembly. Duties may vary from office to office. The most common duties interns are asked to do are:

• track proposed bills in the legislative process
• research the history and context of legislative issues or questions
• research citizen questions and requests
• outreach to state agencies
• draft testimony and/or present testimony in front of a committee
• write emails to citizens, staff, or legislators
• write summaries of research
• compile data in excel spreadsheets
• create flyers
• create infographics
• take meeting notes
• take photos or video for social media
• write social media posts
• proofread documents
• run Zoom technology or assist with Zoom meetings
• prepare citations

Click here to see the job description for our Legislative Interns.

All undergraduate students enrolled and matriculated in an accredited undergraduate degree program at a two or four year institution of higher education in the state. Those already holding a Bachelor's Degree are not eligible for formal program participation. Those already holding a B.A. degree may seek a placement with a legislator as a volunteer or "non-program intern." Non program interns can apply here.

Connecticut residents attending out-of-state colleges are eligible to apply, but should contact us directly prior to application to the program.

Minimum program qualifications include:

• 18 years of age or older by January program start
• 20 credits completed by January program start (no more than 3 AP credits can be counted towards this minimum)
• minimum 2.7 grade point average (at time of application)
• registered for a course (varies by institution) in order to receive credit for the internship

While our program requirements are listed above, each academic institution has their own qualifications and requirements for program participation. Please contact your on-campus liaison (see list here) to discuss you school's requirements.

The Legislative Internship Program runs from January to May, corresponding with the spring academic semester and the Legislative Session of the Connecticut General Assembly. Any student applying for the program must be willing to commit to the entire program, from January to May.

Every intern is required to be enrolled full time and matriculated in an accredited undergraduate degree program and registered in a field work or internship course. The specific amount of credit granted to each student differs based on hours of service and school. To find out how many hours of credit you may obtain by participating in this program, please contact your campus liaison (see list here).

The Internship begins with a required two-day Orientation Program and students must attend the entire orientation to participate in the legislative placement. For the 2025 session, the Legislative Internship Program orientation will be Thursday, Jan. 23 and Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Legislative Office Building, 300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut.

Interns work an 8-hour day, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A 30-minute lunch break on the premises is included within the 8-hour day. Interns work Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday for a total of 16 hours per week for 14 weeks. Interns must accrue a minimum of 216 verified field work hours.

Every student participating in the Legislative Internship Program is required to complete academic work in addition to their legislative work assignments, trainings, workshops and field trips.

You will be assigned:

• 1 three-part bill tracking research project (10-12 pages total)
• 1 example of legislative writing
• 1 interview summary with questions (3-5 pages)
• 1 reflection paper

Further explanation of assignments and support will be offered during the program. Your college or university may also require academic work in addition to the academic work of the Legislative Internship Program. You should discuss all of the academic requirements including the academic requirements of the Legislative Internship when you meet with your campus liaison.

In addition to your legislative placement work and required academic work, interns will be offered optional career development workshops, forums, field trips and programs throughout the legislative session.

Mock Session – Interns role-play a legislative session in the House Chambers during the second half of the program. The mock session process starts with each intern choosing a caucus group (Democrats or Republicans). Caucus groups meet to elect leaders (Speaker of the House, clerk, majority and minority leaders, etc.) Each caucus group works together to choose bills that they will debate in their session. Interns meet weekly in their caucus groups to research, discuss their caucus strategies and arguments. Some interns may perform functions such as learning the rules of order or handling technology to run the vote during session.