DEP, Office of Legislative Affairs, is interested in working with highly motivated interns who will be assigned task/projects to complete in a timely manner. This opportunity will allow our interns to show the ability to work independently and show initiative. We welcome our interns to exercise their work-related strengths and support the practice of our interns in the areas of professional etiquette and communication in the workplace. We allow our interns to enter dialogue, indicate areas in which they desire help or input from the division/department.

Apply for an internship

Office of Legislative Affairs Internship Roles and Responsibilities:

• Interns attend legislative hearings (virtually or in person) at the New Jersey State House on subjects related to energy and the environment.  Interns are asked to take notes on public response to different bills and prepare an analysis of the bill and the public’s response for DEP and other state offices.
• Interns research issues related to legislation and prepare memos. This might include a science or policy-based question, e.g., an intern recently prepared a memo on different reusable bag types and their distinctions, or this might be a legislative question, e.g., an intern put together a comparison of plastic bag ban bills, laws, and policies in different states.
• Interns draft letters to state legislators in response to environmental issues raised by the legislator or their constituents. As part of that assignment, the interns solicit responses from the DEP’s internal experts in water, land use, and other areas. Interns must review the information provided and ensure it is responsive to the legislator’s ask. Finally, the interns then work to integrate the experts’ technical responses into concise and understandable language for the legislators and the public at large.
• Legislative Affairs provides interns with access to staff calendars, and they are encouraged to ask to join any meetings that interest them.
• Interns participate in legislative and constituent tracking; the interns update different data sheets and may be tasked with providing summaries of data for a specific district or piece of legislation.
• Interns will learn how to use the GovNet web platform to monitor and research legislation and may also have access to the Lexis Advance legal research tool. Interns will also become familiar with the DEP’s website and with the NJ State Legislature’s website.

Apply for an internship