STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman TENNILLE R. MCCOY
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblyman JOHN V. AZZARITI JR., M.D.
District 39 (Bergen)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Speight, Quijano, Reynolds-Jackson, Dunn, Bagolie, Peterpaul and Donlon
SYNOPSIS
Establishes legislative internship program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act establishing a legislative internship program and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. 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 member’s House, the member shall employ 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. The Legislature, with the assistance of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, shall annually apply for and use any federal grant funds or other federal assistance which may be available to be used for the legislative internship program established pursuant to this section including, but not limited to, the federal “On-the-Job Training” program funded by the federal “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act,” (29 U.S.C. s.3101 et seq.).
2. There is hereby appropriated from the State General Fund to the New Jersey Legislature such funds as shall be necessary 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.
The bill, also requires the Legislature, with the assistance of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, to annually apply for and use any federal grant funds or other federal assistance which may be available including, but not limited to, the federal “On-the-Job Training” program funded by the federal “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.”