Valley Legislative
Internship Program
Open to all majors
Paid Internship
Part-time
10-15 hours per week
The Valley Legislative Internship Program offers qualified college students the opportunity to work part-time in a legislative office, from both sides of the aisle, in the San Joaquin Valley (San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, or Kern County.) This prestigious program, offered in the fall, spring and summer, allows students to actively observe the legislative process while participating in the administrative operations of a city, county, state, or federal elected official’s office.
Maddy Interns assist with legislative research, attend community events, respond to constituent inquiries, draft communications, and closely observe the policymaking process.
Important Dates
Fall Program
August to December
Opens
April 10, 2025 11:59 pm
Priority Deadline
May 2, 2025 11:59 pm
Final Deadline
May 9, 2025 11:59 pm
Spring Program
January to May
The application period annually opens in September and closes in October.
Summer Program
June to August
The application period annually opens in February and closes in March.
Eligilibity
- Must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher.
- Must have completed a minimum of 30 units or be enrolled in a graduate program during the semester of the internship.
- Must be available to work a minimum of 10-15 hours per week in order to complete the minimum requirement of 150 hours over the course of a semester.
- Must act with the highest degree of professionalism and responsibility.
- Must have a connection to the San Joaquin Valley.
- Open to all majors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Our programs are open to all majors.
Yes! Interns receive $2,400 upon completion of their internship.
Our internships are in-person, but depending on your assigned office, you may experience occasional remote work.
We aim to place students in legislative offices close to their location.
Yes! You can apply to any of our open programs, but please note that each program has a separate application.
We partner with the following offices:
- U.S. Senator Alex Padilla
- U.S. Representative Jim Costa
- U.S. Representative Vince Fong
- U.S. Representative Adam Gray
- U.S. Representative Josh Harder
- U.S. Representative David Valadao
- Governor Gavin Newsom
- Senator Anna Caballero
- Senator Shannon Grove
- Assemblymember Juan Alanis
- Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula
- Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria
- Assemblymember David Tangipa
- Fresno County Board of Supervisors
- Kern County Board of Supervisors
- Fresno City Council
- City of Clovis
Placements are subject to change each semester.
After interviewing applicants, the participating legislative offices will send us their top candidates for placement. If selected, we will send an internship offer to you directly via email.
Once accepted as an intern, we will send you onboarding paperwork and you will be required to attend an orientation at our office. Some offices will require that you complete separate onboarding paperwork in addition to ours.
Our internships align with the semester’s start and end dates. You will work with your assigned office supervisor to determine an official start and end date.
Possible intern responsibilities include attending community events, researching legislative issues, responding to constituent inquiries, opening and routing incoming mail, and performing general office duties.
You may wish to work with your assigned office supervisor on determining more specialized projects and attending events that pertain to your interests.
First, our internships do not require ANY experience. For this reason, we hold an orientation at our office and provide you with a detailed handbook for extra information before your official start date. The Maddy Institute staff are also a great resource if you have questions!