The Oklahoma House of Representatives
Internship Program

The Oklahoma House of Representatives Internship Program provides an opportunity to be an active participant in the legislative process of our state. House interns will work closely with state representatives and will be part of a governing body that produces laws and shapes public policy for Oklahoma’s 3 million residents. The program offers a chance for interns to develop interpersonal communication skills and both political and administrative skills.

The best time to participate in the Oklahoma House of Representatives Internship Program is in the spring semester, during the regular legislative session. Applications should be submitted by December for the following spring. This allows staff enough time to review an applicant's capabilities and interests before making the placement.

The internship is open to students enrolled for credit through an educational institution. The institution will provide all academic requirements and determine all final grades. The House provides a meaningful and intellectually stimulating work experience. The hours are flexible, based upon the academic requirements, but must be regular.

Prospective interns are placed with legislators or staff according to the interests and goals of each individual applicant. By identifying an intern's interests and goals we hope to ensure that the educational needs of the student are effectively met and accommodate the practical needs of individual legislators and staff offices.

Throughout the course of an internship, participants are asked to handle a wide variety of duties essential to the legislative process and designed to provide them with a valuable educational experience. Some of these responsibilities include:

• Conducting research on specific issues
• Monitoring and reporting on committee meetings for legislators
• Researching and drafting responses to constituent inquiries
• Summarizing reports or bills
• Writing press releases
• Assisting with mail and telephone contacts
• Contacting other legislators, administrative personnel, and lobbyists

The experience and knowledge acquired during the state legislative session can be a great asset and lead to exciting career opportunities, as is apparent by the many former interns who are now successfully employed as a result of their education and skills gained at the state Capitol.

The following are examples of how a few of our former interns were able to accelerate their career paths after working as House interns:

Vinay Patel, Democratic Leadership Assistant
Oklahoma House of Representatives

My experience as an intern at the House of Representatives was more than anything I could have imagined. I was assigned to state Rep. Jari Askins, House minority leader for the 2006 regular session. I was given the opportunity to do a variety of things, such as attend caucus meetings, write press releases, and set up press conferences throughout the session.

Furthermore, I was able to develop relationships with great people within the Democratic Caucus who I would not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. I can already tell that these relationships will not only prove helpful professionally, but they will also benefit me personally. I was honored to have the caucus offer me a job upon the completion of my internship.

I truly believe that it is impossible to completely understand the process of the state legislature until one has seen it in action. I would recommend this internship to anyone with an interest in government at any level.

The decision to intern at the Okalahoma House of Representatives was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I found everyone to be very friendly and open to helping interns. During my time there, I was able to gain valuable insight into the Oklahoma political process and began friendships that I believe will last a lifetime.

It is a well-known fact that the classroom cannot truly give you a behind the scenes look at the political process. While interning at the Oklahoma House I was given the unique opportunity of watching an administration shift between two different majority floor leaders. The job assignments given to me by the two representatives that I interned for not only included the average work that most interns go through. I also had the opportunity to work on projects such as creating a database for constituent issue opinion surveys, aiding in the transition from one floor leader to the next by organizing the new floor leader’s file system, handling constituent cases, and attending committee meetings.

Since leaving my internship at the Oklahoma House, the friendships I made have led to other exciting opportunities. Soon after the end of session, I was given an offer to intern in Washington, D.C. for a summer with the Environmental Protection Agency’s emergency response program. During my interview for the internship, the interviewer was very interested in the time I spent at the Oklahoma House and it contributed my acceptance to my D.C. internship. I have also had the opportunity to participate in programs such as the Model United States House of Representatives and to work on a few Oklahoma state campaigns. I would definitely say that my time interning for the Oklahoma House was well spent and would do it all over again if offered the chance.

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The following documents are required to be completed and signed if you are interested in Internship.

 All Publications are in Adobe Acrobat .PDF Format

Intern Application (.pdf document) Intern Confidentiality and User Agreement (.pdf document) Intern Release/Waiver of Liability (.pdf document) Intern Medical Treatment Authorization Form (.pdf document) Intern Travel Authorization Form (.pdf document) Intern Checklist (.pdf document)

For further information, or if you have any questions please feel free to contact:

Angela Breath-Razor
Human Resources/Procurement Officer
109 State Capitol Building
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK
73105-4885
(405) 557-7324
E-mail: