STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator HOLLY T. SCHEPISI
District 39 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes legislative internship program; makes appropriation.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act establishing a legislative internship program, supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Members of the Legislature may receive annually, during the term for which they shall have been elected and while they shall hold their office, not more than $10,000 to employ legislative interns. Members of the Legislature shall obtain the approval of the presiding officer of the member's House prior to employing an intern through the legislative internship program. Once approved by the presiding officer of the members House, the member shall employ the intern and receive the stipend amount to be paid to the intern.
b. The legislative internship program shall be open to any full-time or part-time student currently attending any accredited institution of higher education. The program shall be open to students in undergraduate level and graduate level programs, with the exception of juris doctorate and PhD programs.
c. Students who are residents of New Jersey, or who are attending institutions of higher education located within New Jersey, shall be granted priority over other applicants to the program.
d. Participants shall be required to complete one work period with a district office of a legislator. The work period shall be established by each legislator prior to the employment of an intern.
e. When a participant completes the program requirement, the legislator may elect to retain the participant for an additional work period if the participant agrees to continue their internship.
f. Students selected to participate in the legislative internship program shall receive a stipend of $1,000 for every work period completed in the program. The stipend shall be prorated and paid bi-weekly or monthly, as determined by the legislator.
2. There is hereby appropriated $1,200,000 from the State General Fund to the New Jersey Legislature for the purposes of the legislative internship program established pursuant to section 1 of this act, P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill).
3. This act shall take effect
immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a legislative internship program to allow members of the Legislature to employ interns, with the approval of the presiding officer of the member's House.
The bill requires the legislative internship program to be open to any full-time or part-time student currently attending any accredited institution of higher education in undergraduate level and graduate level programs, with the exception of juris doctorate and PhD programs.
The bill also requires students who are residents of New Jersey, or who are attending institutions of higher education located within New Jersey, to be granted priority over other applicants to the program.
Additionally, the bill requires participants to complete one work period with a district office of a legislator. The work period will be established by each legislator prior to employing an intern.
This bill also allows the legislator to elect to retain the participant for an additional work period if the participant agrees to continue their internship after completion of the program requirement.
Additionally, this bill allows not more than $10,000 annually to be provided to each member of the Legislature for employing interns. Students selected to participate in the legislative internship will receive a stipend of $1,000 for every work period completed in the program. The stipend is prorated and paid bi-weekly or monthly, as determined by the legislator.
This bill also appropriates $1,200,000 from the State General Fund to the New Jersey Legislature for the purposes of the legislative internship program.