More Maryland State Legislative Internship Openings

 Updated January 18 with more positions and some more detail on existing ads. . .

 

Several state delegates and senators have recently contacted me to advertise internships for this current legislative session, which runs until mid-April. Most offices need the intern to start immediately and to work for 2 days per week. Typical state legislative intern duties include substantial legislative research work, constituent correspondence, some clerical work, and attendance at various meetings, events, and legislative proceedings with or on behalf of the legislator. UMBC students have consistently reported positive experiences with this program, and for several of them, the experience later led to a legislative staff job.

 

Most of the legislators who have contacted me pay their interns a modest stipend, which is set this session at $850 for 16 hours per week and $1250 for 24 hours per week. Free parking is also included.

 

Interns receiving the stipend are considered participants in the Maryland General Assembly’s official internship program and thus are required to be sponsored by a professor and to receive academic credit for the experience – although, as noted below, some legislators hire outside this program and may still pay. The Department of Political Science offers qualifying students 7 graded credits for a combination of the internship and required supplemental academic work. These come from POLI 448, a writing-intensive hybrid class required of all interns, and POLI 401. On those weeks when POLI 448 meets face-to-face, alternative arrangements are available for students whose internship schedules conflict with class time. Traditionally, eligibility has been limited to juniors and seniors with GPAs of 3.0 and higher, but exceptions for high-GPA sophomores or for upperclassmen with GPAs below 3.0 may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

 

As of Wednesday, January 18, the following legislators have contacted me about internships in their Annapolis offices. Party affiliation and county are provided for your information, but interns are not necessarily required to share these with the legislator. If you are interested, please send your resume to the contact person while contacting me to apply for academic credit. ~Dr. Hussey (lhussey@umbc.edu)

·         Del. Vanessa Atterbeary (D – Howard County) (see details in earlier post)

·         Del. Ric Metzgar (R – Baltimore County) (Contact: Diamond J. Aranda, Chief of Staff, 410-841-3332)

·         Del. Edith Patterson (D – Charles County) (Tu/Th availability needed. Contact: Melinda M. Hamilton, Chief of Staff, Edith.Patterson@house.state.md.us or 410-841-3247.)

·         Del. Marc Korman (D – Montgomery County) (MWF availability preferred, but TuTh OK. Contact: Sean Emerson, Legislative Aide, Marc.Korman@house.state.md.us or 410-841-3649)

·         Sen. Victor Ramirez (D – Prince George’s County) (Spanish speakers especially desired. Needs TuWeTh availability. May still hire and pay stipend even if not meeting 3.0 GPA or requirement for professor sponsorship and academic credit. Contact: Wanika Fisher, Esq., Policy and Constituent Director, WFisher@senate.state.md.us or 410-841-3745)

·         Del. Karen Lewis Young (D – Frederick County) (Contact: Manley Paul Calhoun III, Legislative Director, Karen.Young@house.state.md.us or 410-841-3436)

·         Speaker Pro Tem Del. Adrienne Jones (D – Baltimore County). (Position is unpaid, but promises extensive exposure to the delegate’s meetings and legislative work. Does not involve clerical work. Contact Dr. Hussey for details.)

·         Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D – Prince George’s County) (TuTh availability preferred, W okay. Contact: Keontae Wells, Executive Assistant: KKells@senate.state.md.us)

·         Delegate-elect (just appointed to fill a vacancy) Jheanelle Wilkins (D – Montgomery County) (Send email of interest and resume to Dr. Hussey to forward directly to Del.-Elect Wilkins)