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

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Requirements

Program Details:

For short spring sessions (even years), the first half will be full-time in the Purdue Indianapolis Office and the second half will be full-time at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture in Indianapolis.
For full spring sessions (odd years), a majority of the student's time will be spent at the Statehouse and the Purdue Agriculture Indianapolis Office.
Some flexibility available on time given the unpredictable schedule of the General Assembly. Weekly schedules will be determined by the site coordinator(s).

Internship Requirements:

Effective and professional communication skills, both oral and written
- Candidate will be communicating with government officials, elected officials and staff, lobbyists and other stakeholders
- Must be able to convey complex issues in understandable terms
Time management and ability to prioritize work
Organized and able to manage large amounts of information and data
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
Comfortable working with issues and topics on which candidate may personally disagree
Trustworthy and ability to exhibit discretion
Ability to both work in teams and independently on projects

Apply

Selection Timeline

Timeline:

Student applications available at the beginning of the fall semester.
Interested students encouraged to attend the fall semester Public Policy Internship Call-outs as announced in the COA's weekly WAS-UP e-newsletter.
Applications and letters of recommendation are due online by October 7, 2019 for the 2020 public policy internship program.
Applications are reviewed by a committee of faculty and staff shortly after the deadline.
For spring internships, final interviews and selections are made in late October by the site coordinators who will be the intern's supervisor(s).
Preparation workshops are held for spring interns in November before beginning their internships in January.

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.

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College of Agriculture Transformational Experiences