CATE Issues in Agriculture
Public Policy Internships - Indiana Statehouse
The Indiana Statehouse internship which focuses on policy and works with Purdue Government Relations team and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
Educational Objectives:
- Learn about the legislative process
- Understand how bills are drafted
- Learn the roles of different parties in the process; Legislative Services Agency, the author, affected parties, state agencies
- Analyze how amendments affect bill and the impact
- Experience the committee hearing process
- Practice effective note taking and active listening
- Understand the impact of public testimony and proposed amendments
- Communicate pertinent information to others on the Purdue team
- Observe the debate and voting process of the legislature
- Witness the external stakeholders attempt to influence legislative outcomes
- Become familiar with how to read statutes and bill drafts
- Understand how to cross reference in the Indiana Code and Administrative Code
- Research on proposed legislation
- Learn to identify issues and research similarities in other states
- Compose synopsis of issue and analysis of impact
- Articulate how proposal may affect a variety of stakeholders
- Witness the interaction of the different branches of state government and how state agencies carry out legislative mandates and activities
- Enhance communication skills, both oral and written
- Become familiar with a of topics that affect Purdue University, including Education policy, Tax and Fiscal policy, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Public Policy
- Improve critical thinking ability by working on complex issues
Contact Us
Mary Helen Halsema
nesbitt@purdue.edu
(765) 494-8473
Dig Deeper
Hillary Vrba – Spring 2020 College of Agriculture Indiana Statehouse Public Policy Intern
I was as responsible for researching statutes, summarizing bills, and tracking the legislative process, while attending committee meetings, and meeting with legislators, staff and other lobbyists. I analyzed relevant bills in order to determine their impact on Purdue University in the areas of education policy, tax and fiscal policy, agriculture, natural resources and public policy. I assessed the roles of the different parties in the process, including the Legislative Services Agency, the author of the bill, affected parties, and state agencies. And I aided the Purdue Governmental Relations team in obtaining over $100M in capital projects.
The most rewarding experience was helping to get funding for the vet hospital. It was rewarding because it's going to help to save many lives of animals in the state. Glad I could be a part of this project.
Overall, the internship experience was awesome! As an intern in this position, I got to view the legislative process in more of a holistic way than the typical interns. I met more than 50 legislators and got to see their views on issues.