Revision history for UTInternTraining
Additions:
Vote Smart provides a summary of the version of the bill text associated with each selected key vote. Our summaries are written by Vote Smart's staff and interns, who adhere to our strict policies and procedures in order to guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. They do not necessarily reflect the content of the final version of the bill, but rather the version voted on in that stage. While many procedural votes take place before a full chamber vote, our voting stages reflect the final reading of each chamber vote. Each key vote selection is reviewed by the project's community of advisors, who are political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.
Additions:
If at any point in the course of your training (or the internship in general) you have questions about anything you read or are asked to do, **please** ask your supervisor or another staff member for assistance. It's what we're here for!
Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do is note our office's **[[CategoryTexas contact information]]** including phone numbers and staff emails. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents within the first week of your internship:
To start your training, we want to give you some general background and information about Vote Smart as a whole. Some, but not all, of this information might have been covered in your initial orientation. Please read the following pages:
We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. We rely on the following criteria when selecting a Key Vote (however, it is not a requirement that every Key Vote-candidate satisfy every criteria):
~-The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin, or on party lines; and
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these **[[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]]** to be useful. Additionally, please review these **[[PolicyConcepts policy concepts]]** as you may come across them as you read bill texts.
Once you have completed these tasks, you will learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation and summarizing their main provisions. Please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. There is a lot of information in this section, including embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. The goal is not to write in an exhaustive, overly-technical way, but in a concise and understandable way. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/17651/47098/authorizes-pharmacists-to-refuse-to-dispense-pseudophedrine-without-a-prescription#.VMFZmkfF98G This]]** is how a Key Vote summary appears on our website.
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you some training bills for you to write a practice summaries of. You should take your time working on these summaries, and feel free to ask staff any questions you have during the process.
To begin vote entry training, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]**," "**[[RollCallNumbers States with Roll Call Numbers]]**," and others. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/votes/46843#.VMFXi0fF98E This]]** is how a voting record appears on our website.
Please let a staff member know once you have finished reading over the entering votes guide and all of its subsections. A staff member will give you a bill that you can practice entering votes for in order to make sure you understand the process. Once the practice votes have been completed and reviewed with you by a staff member, you are officially fully trained as a legislative research intern!
As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; **it is impossible** to remember every single requirement we have, however the readings you have just completed will help you greatly as you do the work.
Going forward, the best strategy is to ask as many questions as you can. The interns who learn the most and produce the highest quality work are those who ask whenever they are unsure of something. If you have questions about any work process or requirement, please ask a Key Votes staff member. Referring to bill summaries that are already live on the website will also assist you greatly moving forward. The summary writing that is up live has been seen and approved by a staff member, so it illustrates the type of language we prefer in a finished summary. Because we cover so many topics, it is very likely that you will find a bill similar to the one you are working on. Additionally, please read the **[[GoingForward Going Forward]]** page as it provides a detailed list of what to expect after training and common mistakes and questions that crop up after training.
Throughout the semester, there will be opportunities to complete other projects besides vote entering and summary writing. If at any point in your time here you wish to work on any of these projects, please express your interest to your supervisor and we will try our best to make it happen:
~- Vetoes - Interns can assist in tracking and gathering documents relating to vetoes
The primary goals of the Key Votes internship program are to increase interns' knowledge of the legislative process and help interns acquire critical thinking and writing skills that will assist them in their careers. To that end, the following learning objectives are proposed for all interns, regardless of whether or not academic credit is sought.
Over the course of the internship program, all Key Votes interns should:
~-Become thoroughly familiar with the legislative process;
~-Become proficient at identifying the intent and key provisions of a wide variety of bills; and
~-Develop a writing style that is clear, concise, and nonpartisan.
Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do is note our office's **[[CategoryTexas contact information]]** including phone numbers and staff emails. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents within the first week of your internship:
To start your training, we want to give you some general background and information about Vote Smart as a whole. Some, but not all, of this information might have been covered in your initial orientation. Please read the following pages:
We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. We rely on the following criteria when selecting a Key Vote (however, it is not a requirement that every Key Vote-candidate satisfy every criteria):
~-The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin, or on party lines; and
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these **[[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]]** to be useful. Additionally, please review these **[[PolicyConcepts policy concepts]]** as you may come across them as you read bill texts.
Once you have completed these tasks, you will learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation and summarizing their main provisions. Please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. There is a lot of information in this section, including embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. The goal is not to write in an exhaustive, overly-technical way, but in a concise and understandable way. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/17651/47098/authorizes-pharmacists-to-refuse-to-dispense-pseudophedrine-without-a-prescription#.VMFZmkfF98G This]]** is how a Key Vote summary appears on our website.
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you some training bills for you to write a practice summaries of. You should take your time working on these summaries, and feel free to ask staff any questions you have during the process.
To begin vote entry training, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]**," "**[[RollCallNumbers States with Roll Call Numbers]]**," and others. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/votes/46843#.VMFXi0fF98E This]]** is how a voting record appears on our website.
Please let a staff member know once you have finished reading over the entering votes guide and all of its subsections. A staff member will give you a bill that you can practice entering votes for in order to make sure you understand the process. Once the practice votes have been completed and reviewed with you by a staff member, you are officially fully trained as a legislative research intern!
As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; **it is impossible** to remember every single requirement we have, however the readings you have just completed will help you greatly as you do the work.
Going forward, the best strategy is to ask as many questions as you can. The interns who learn the most and produce the highest quality work are those who ask whenever they are unsure of something. If you have questions about any work process or requirement, please ask a Key Votes staff member. Referring to bill summaries that are already live on the website will also assist you greatly moving forward. The summary writing that is up live has been seen and approved by a staff member, so it illustrates the type of language we prefer in a finished summary. Because we cover so many topics, it is very likely that you will find a bill similar to the one you are working on. Additionally, please read the **[[GoingForward Going Forward]]** page as it provides a detailed list of what to expect after training and common mistakes and questions that crop up after training.
Throughout the semester, there will be opportunities to complete other projects besides vote entering and summary writing. If at any point in your time here you wish to work on any of these projects, please express your interest to your supervisor and we will try our best to make it happen:
~- Vetoes - Interns can assist in tracking and gathering documents relating to vetoes
The primary goals of the Key Votes internship program are to increase interns' knowledge of the legislative process and help interns acquire critical thinking and writing skills that will assist them in their careers. To that end, the following learning objectives are proposed for all interns, regardless of whether or not academic credit is sought.
Over the course of the internship program, all Key Votes interns should:
~-Become thoroughly familiar with the legislative process;
~-Become proficient at identifying the intent and key provisions of a wide variety of bills; and
~-Develop a writing style that is clear, concise, and nonpartisan.
Deletions:
Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do is note our office's **[[CategoryTexas contact information]]** including phone numbers and staff emails. The second thing is to read the UT Intern Manual. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents within the first week of your internship:
To start your training, we want to give you some general background and information about Vote Smart as a whole. Some, but not all, of this information might have been covered in your initial orientation. Please read the following pages:
We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. We rely on the following criteria when selecting a Key Vote (however, it is not a requirement that every Key Vote-candidate satisfy each criteria):
~-The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin; and
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these **[[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]]** to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with. Additionally, please review these **[[PolicyConcepts policy concepts]]** as you may come across them as you read bill texts.
After you have familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. The hope is to not write in an exhaustive, overly-technical way, but to instead write in a concise and understandable way. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/17651/47098/authorizes-pharmacists-to-refuse-to-dispense-pseudophedrine-without-a-prescription#.VMFZmkfF98G This]]** is how a Key Vote summary appears on our website.
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you some training materials, including bills for you to write a practice summaries of, and some already-written summaries for you to practice performing a check of. You should take your time working on these summaries, and feel free to ask staff any questions you have during the process.
As you have worked through this, you might realize how specific our writing style can be. It is for this reason that we hold off on assigning interns Congressional bills until we see tremendous progress in mastering our writing requirements.
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]**," "**[[RollCallNumbers States with Roll Call Numbers]]**," and others. It is a tedious process that requires the utmost attention to detail. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/votes/46843#.VMFXi0fF98E This]]** is how a voting record appears on our website.
Please let a staff member know once you have finished reading over the entering votes guide and all of its subsections. A staff member will give you a bill that you can practice entering votes for in order to make sure you understand the process. Once the practice votes have been completed and reviewed with you by a staff member, you are officially fully trained as a legislative research intern!
As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; **it is impossible** to remember every single requirement we have, however the readings you have just completed will help you greatly as you do the work. Also, now that you are out of training, you will be accessing, downloading, and uploading documents in the corresponding "State Bills" folder in UTBox.
The best tip going forward is for you to always ask as many questions as you can. The interns who get the most out of this internship and who perform the best are those who ask questions whenever they are stuck on a provision. If you ever have questions about anything as you go about your work, just ask any staff member. The second best tip going forward is for you to utilize, as much as possible, our past Key Vote summaries that are currently up live on the website to assist you in your summary writing. The summary writing that is up live has been seen and approved by a staff member so you can definitely lift any language found in those summaries. Because we cover so many topics, it is very likely that you will find a bill similar to the one you are working on. Also, please read the **[[GoingForward Going Forward]]** page as it provides a detailed list of what to expect after training and common mistakes and questions that often crop up after training.
Throughout your the semester, there will be opportunities to complete other projects besides vote entering and summary writing. If at any point in your time here you wish to work on any of these projects, please express your interest to your supervisor and we will try our best to make it happen:
~- Legislative Wrap-Ups - Where we offer our readers a wrap-up on the most noteworthy aspects of a given state's legislative session
~- Profiles (Bios) on Political Candidates - Where we assist the Research Department (located in Montana) with searching for biographical information on candidates
~- Vetoes - Although only staff is authorized to enter vetoes into Admin and release them live to the website, interns can assist in tracking and gathering documents relating to vetoes
The primary goal of the Vote Smart internship program is to increase interns' knowledge of the legislative process and help interns acquire critical thinking and writing skills that will assist them in their careers. To that end, the following learning objectives are proposed for all interns, regardless of whether or not academic credit is sought.
Over the course of the internship program, all Vote Smart interns should:
~-Become thoroughly familiar with the legislative process on both the state and Congressional (if assigned) levels;
~-Become proficient at identifying the intent and key provisions of a wide variety of bills, some of which may be lengthy, complex, and contain technical language; and
~-Develop a writing style that is clear, concise, and nonpartisan, and use it to describe relevant aspects of a bill while omitting superfluous information.
Throughout your time with Vote Smart, try to always remain cognizant of these learning objectives. If at any point you want to grow or excel in any one or all of these learning objectives, or if you wish to establish your own personal goals, notify staff and we will be more than glad to have a discussion with you. Thank you!
Additions:
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you some training materials, including bills for you to write a practice summaries of, and some already-written summaries for you to practice performing a check of. You should take your time working on these summaries, and feel free to ask staff any questions you have during the process.
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]**," "**[[RollCallNumbers States with Roll Call Numbers]]**," and others. It is a tedious process that requires the utmost attention to detail. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/votes/46843#.VMFXi0fF98E This]]** is how a voting record appears on our website.
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]**," "**[[RollCallNumbers States with Roll Call Numbers]]**," and others. It is a tedious process that requires the utmost attention to detail. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/votes/46843#.VMFXi0fF98E This]]** is how a voting record appears on our website.
Deletions:
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Entering Votes Checklist]]**," "**[[RollCallNumbers States with Roll Call Numbers]]**," and others. It is a tedious process that requires the utmost attention to detail. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/votes/46843#.VMFXi0fF98E This]]** is how a voting record appears on our website.
Additions:
~- **[[https://votesmart.org/about/history History of Vote Smart]]**: This page, written by Vote Smart President and founder Richard Kimball, describes the events leading to the founding of the organization, as well as how Vote Smart has evolved over the years.
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Throughout your time with Vote Smart, try to always remain cognizant of these learning objectives. If at any point you want to grow or excel in any one or all of these learning objectives, or if you wish to establish your own personal goals, notify staff and we will be more than glad to have a discussion with you. Thank you!
Deletions:
Additions:
~-Develop a writing style that is clear, concise, and nonpartisan, and use it to describe relevant aspects of a bill while omitting superfluous information.
Deletions:
Additions:
~-Become thoroughly familiar with the legislative process on both the state and Congressional (if assigned) levels;
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~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CZ3lDSGxwcFd2Sm8&authuser=1 Vote Smart Acknowledgement]]** page of the intern manual.
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No Differences
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~- Familiarize yourself with our **[[http://votesmart.org/bills#.VLmNEUfF98E Department's page]]** on our website: Take a look around and explore various issues you might be interested in. This is where your work will ultimately be displayed.
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~- Familiarize yourself with our **[[http://votesmart.org/bills#.VLmNEUfF98E Department's page]]** in our website: Take a look around and explore various issues you might be interested in. This is where your work will ultimately be displayed.
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Additions:
After you have familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. The hope is to not write in an exhaustive, overly-technical way, but to instead write in a concise and understandable way. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/17651/47098/authorizes-pharmacists-to-refuse-to-dispense-pseudophedrine-without-a-prescription#.VMFZmkfF98G This]]** is how a Key Vote summary appears on our website.
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Additions:
As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; **it is impossible** to remember every single requirement we have, however the readings you have just completed will help you greatly as you do the work. Also, now that you are out of training, you will be accessing, downloading, and uploading documents in the corresponding "State Bills" folder in UTBox.
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No Differences
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If at any point in the course of your training (or the internship in general) you have questions about anything you read or are asked to do, **please** ask your supervisor or another staff member for assistance. It's what we're here for!
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Additions:
[[UTInternTraining Training Guide]] | [[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]] | [[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]] | [[CongressGuide Congress Guide]] | [[StatusUpdateGuide Status Update Guide]] | [[WebCheckGuide Web Check Guide]]
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[[UTInternTraining Training Guide]] | [[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]] | [[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]] | [[CongressGuide Congress Guide]] | [[StatusUpdateGuide Status Update Guide]] | [[WebCheckGuide Web Check Guide]] |-| [[VetoesGuide Vetoes Guide]]
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[[UTInternTraining Training Guide]] | [[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]] | [[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]] | [[CongressGuide Congress Guide]] | [[StatusUpdateGuide Status Update Guide]] | [[WebCheckGuide Web Check Guide]]
Additions:
Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do is note our office's **[[CategoryTexas contact information]]** including phone numbers and staff emails. The second thing is to read the UT Intern Manual. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents within the first week of your internship:
Deletions:
Additions:
Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do is note our office's **[[CategoryTexas contact information]]** including phone numbers and staff emails. The second thing is to read the UT Intern Manual. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. At this point, you should also know the office contact information. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents within the first week of your internship:
Deletions:
Additions:
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Entering Votes Checklist]]**," "**[[RollCallNumbers States with Roll Call Numbers]]**," and others. It is a tedious process that requires the utmost attention to detail. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/votes/46843#.VMFXi0fF98E This]]** is how a voting record appears on our website.
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No Differences
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//If at any point in the course of your training (or the internship in general) you have questions about anything you read or are asked to do, **please** ask your supervisor or another staff member for assistance. It's what we're here for!//
----
----
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>>==Training Guide - Table of Contents==
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After you have re-familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. The hope is to not write in an exhaustive, overly-technical way, but to instead write in a concise and understandable way. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/17651/47098/authorizes-pharmacists-to-refuse-to-dispense-pseudophedrine-without-a-prescription#.VMFZmkfF98G This]]** is how a Key Vote summary appears on our website.
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Additions:
After you have re-familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/17651/47098/authorizes-pharmacists-to-refuse-to-dispense-pseudophedrine-without-a-prescription#.VMFZmkfF98G This]]** is how a Key Vote summary appears on our website.
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Additions:
After you have re-familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/votes/46843#.VMFXi0fF98E This]]** is how a Key Vote summary appears on our website.
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Additions:
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Entering Votes Checklist]]**", "**[[RollCallNumbers States with Roll Call Numbers]]**", and others. It is a tedious process that requires the utmost attention to detail. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/votes/46843#.VMFXi0fF98E This]]** is how a voting record appears on our website.
Deletions:
Additions:
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Entering Votes Checklist]]**", "**[[RollCallNumbers States with Roll Call Numbers]]**", and others. It is a tedious process that requires the utmost attention to detail. **[[http://votesmart.org/bill/votes/46843#.VMFXi0fF98E This]]** is how and where a voting record appears on our website.
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{{anchor name="AdminandHistory"}}===__Administrative Information & Historical Background__===
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=={{anchor target="AdminandHistory" text="Administrative & Historical Information"}}==
{{anchor name="AdminandHistory"}}===__Administrative Information & Historical Background__===
{{anchor name="AdminandHistory"}}===__Administrative Information & Historical Background__===
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{{anchor name="AdminandHistory"}}===__Administrative Information and Historical Background__===
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Throughout your time with Vote Smart, try to always remain cognizant of these learning objectives. If at any point you want to grow or excel in any one of these learning objectives or if you wish to establish your own personal goals, notify staff and we will be more than glad to have a discussion with you. Thank you!
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Throughout your the semester, there will be opportunities to complete other projects besides vote entering and summary writing. If at any point in your time here you wish to work on any of these projects, please express your interest to your supervisor and we will try our best to make it happen:
Deletions:
If at any point in your time here you wish to work on any of these projects, please express your interest to your supervisor and we will try our best to make it happen.
Additions:
~- Vetoes - Although only staff is authorized to enter vetoes into Admin and release them live to the website, interns can assist in tracking and gathering documents relating to vetoes
If at any point in your time here you wish to work on any of these projects, please express your interest to your supervisor and we will try our best to make it happen.
If at any point in your time here you wish to work on any of these projects, please express your interest to your supervisor and we will try our best to make it happen.
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To start your training, we want to give you some general background and information about Vote Smart as a whole. Some, but not all, of this information might have been covered in your initial orientation. Please read the following pages:
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~- Vetoes - Although staff is only authorized to enter vetoes into Admin and release them live to the website, interns can assist in tracking and gathering documents relating to vetoes
Additions:
Throughout your the semester, there will be opportunities to complete certain other projects, including, but not limited to, the following projects:
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We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. We rely on the following criteria when selecting a Key Vote (however, it is not a requirement that every Key Vote-candidate satisfy each criteria):
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We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. We rely on the following criteria when selecting a Key Vote, however it is not a requirement that every Key Vote-candidate satisfy each criteria:
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Additions:
The best tip going forward is for you to always ask as many questions as you can. The interns who get the most out of this internship and who perform the best are those who ask questions whenever they are stuck on a provision. If you ever have questions about anything as you go about your work, just ask any staff member. The second best tip going forward is for you to utilize, as much as possible, our past Key Vote summaries that are currently up live on the website to assist you in your summary writing. The summary writing that is up live has been seen and approved by a staff member so you can definitely lift any language found in those summaries. Because we cover so many topics, it is very likely that you will find a bill similar to the one you are working on. Also, please read the **[[GoingForward Going Forward]]** page as it provides a detailed list of what to expect after training and common mistakes and questions that often crop up after training.
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Throughout your time with Vote Smart, try to always remain cognizant of these learning objectives. If at any point you want to grow in any one of these learning objectives or your own personal goals, notify staff and we will be more than glad to have a discussion with you. Thank you!
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-
Over the course of the internship program, all Vote Smart interns should:
Over the course of the internship program, all Vote Smart interns should:
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The primary goal of the Vote Smart internship program is to increase interns' knowledge of the legislative process and help interns acquire critical thinking and writing skills that will assist them in their careers. To that end, the following learning objectives are proposed for all interns, regardless of whether or not academic credit is sought.
Throughout your time with Vote Smart, try to always remain cognizant of these learning objectives. If at any point you want to grow in any one of these learning objectives or your own personal goals, notify staff and we will be more than glad to help.
Throughout your time with Vote Smart, try to always remain cognizant of these learning objectives. If at any point you want to grow in any one of these learning objectives or your own personal goals, notify staff and we will be more than glad to help.
Deletions:
A primary goal of the Vote Smart internship program is to increase interns' knowledge of the legislative process and help interns acquire critical thinking and writing skills that will assist them in their careers. To that end, the following learning objectives are proposed for all interns, regardless of whether or not academic credit is sought.
Additions:
Throughout your time with Vote Smart, try to always remain cognizant of our learning objectives for you and your own personal learning objectives and goals.
A primary goal of the Vote Smart internship program is to increase interns' knowledge of the legislative process and help interns acquire critical thinking and writing skills that will assist them in their careers. To that end, the following learning objectives are proposed for all interns, regardless of whether or not academic credit is sought.
Over the course of the internship program, all Project Vote Smart interns should:
~-Become thoroughly familiar with the legislative process on both the state and Congressional levels;
~-Be able to obtain information about legislation from a variety of sources and locate relevant existing law in the revised statutes and U.S. Code;
~-Become proficient at identifying the intent and key provisions of a wide variety of bills, some of which may be lengthy, complex, and contain technical language; and
~-Develop a writing style that is clear, concise and non-partisan, and use it to describe relevant aspects of a bill while omitting superfluous information.
A primary goal of the Vote Smart internship program is to increase interns' knowledge of the legislative process and help interns acquire critical thinking and writing skills that will assist them in their careers. To that end, the following learning objectives are proposed for all interns, regardless of whether or not academic credit is sought.
Over the course of the internship program, all Project Vote Smart interns should:
~-Become thoroughly familiar with the legislative process on both the state and Congressional levels;
~-Be able to obtain information about legislation from a variety of sources and locate relevant existing law in the revised statutes and U.S. Code;
~-Become proficient at identifying the intent and key provisions of a wide variety of bills, some of which may be lengthy, complex, and contain technical language; and
~-Develop a writing style that is clear, concise and non-partisan, and use it to describe relevant aspects of a bill while omitting superfluous information.
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=={{anchor target="OtherProjects" text="Other Projects"}}==
=={{anchor target="FinalNote" text="Final Note"}}==>>
{{anchor name="FinalNote"}}===__FINAL NOTE__===
Throughout your time with Vote Smart, try to always remain cognizant of our learning objectives for you and your own personal learning objectives and goals.
=={{anchor target="FinalNote" text="Final Note"}}==>>
{{anchor name="FinalNote"}}===__FINAL NOTE__===
Throughout your time with Vote Smart, try to always remain cognizant of our learning objectives for you and your own personal learning objectives and goals.
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Additions:
The best tip going forward is for you to always ask as many questions as you can. The interns who get the most out of this internship are those who ask questions whenever they are stuck on a provision. If you ever have questions about anything as you go about your work, just ask any staff member. The second best tip going forward is for you to utilize, as much as possible, our past Key Vote summaries that are currently up live on the website to assist you in your summary writing. The summary writing that is up live has been seen and approved by a staff member so you can definitely lift any language found in those summaries. Because we cover so many topics, it is very likely that you will find a bill similar to the one you are working on. Also, please read the **[[GoingForward Going Forward]]** page as it provides a detailed list of what to expect after training and common mistakes and questions that often crop up after training.
Deletions:
Additions:
The best tip going forward is for you to always ask as many questions as you can. The interns who get the most out of this internship are those who ask questions whenever they are stuck on a provision. If you ever have questions about anything as you go about your work, just ask any staff member. The second best tip going forward is for you to utilize, as much as possible, our past Key Vote summaries that are currently up live on the website to assist you in your summary writing. The summary writing that is up live has been seen and approved by a staff member so you can definitely lift any language found in those summaries. Because we cover so many topics, it is very likely that you will find a bill similar to the one you are working on. Also, please read the **[[GoingForward Going Forward]]** page as it provides a detailed list of what to expect after training and common mistakes and questions that crop up after training.
Deletions:
Additions:
As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; **it is impossible** to remember every single requirement we have, however the readings you have just completed will help you greatly as you do the work.
Deletions:
Additions:
The best tip going forward is for you to always ask as many questions as you can. The interns who get the most out of this internship are those who ask questions whenever they are stuck on a provision. If you ever have questions about anything as you go about your work, just ask any staff member. The second best tip going forward is for you to utilize, as much as possible, our past Key Vote summaries that are currently up live on the website to assist you in your summary writing. The summary writing that is up live has been seen and approved by a staff member so you can definitely lift any language found in those summaries. Because we cover so many topics, it is very likely that you will find a bill similar to the one you are working on. Also, please read the **[[GoingForward Going Forward]]** page as it provides a detailed list of common mistakes or common questions that crop up after training.
Deletions:
Additions:
As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; **it is impossible** to remember every single requirement we have, however the readings you have just completed will help you greatly as you do the work. Also, please read the **[[GoingForward Going Forward]]** page as it provides a detailed list of common mistakes or common questions that crop up after training.
Deletions:
Additions:
As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; **it is impossible** to remember every single requirement we have, however the readings you have just completed will help you greatly as you do the work. Also, please read the [[GoingForward Going Forward]] page as it provides a detailed list of common mistakes or common questions after training.
Deletions:
Additions:
As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; **it is impossible** to remember every single requirement we have, however the readings you have just completed will help you greatly as you do the work. Please read the [[GoingForward Going Forward]] page as it provides a detailed list of common mistakes or common questions after training.
The best tip going forward is to always ask as many questions as you can. The interns who get the most out of this internship are those who ask questions whenever they are stuck on a provision. If you ever have questions about anything as you go about your work, just ask any staff member.
The best tip going forward is to always ask as many questions as you can. The interns who get the most out of this internship are those who ask questions whenever they are stuck on a provision. If you ever have questions about anything as you go about your work, just ask any staff member.
Deletions:
Another useful resource you may want to consult as you do your work is this [[BillSummarySheet guide to the bill summary sheet]]. It includes descriptions for many of the terms on the sheet, detailing exactly what information you should be including and how to find that information. If you ever have questions about anything as you go about your work, just ask any staff member. [[GoingForward Going Forward]] page provides more of this list.
Additions:
Throughout your time with Vote Smart, there will be opportunities to complete certain other projects, including, but not limited to, the following projects:
Deletions:
Additions:
~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CcjVBZm02blBxQ1E&authuser=1 Vote Smart Pledge]]** to be nonpartisan while at the office, at Vote Smart events, and while representing the organization.
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Additions:
~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CZ3lDSGxwcFd2Sm8&authuser=1 Vote Smart Acknowledgement page]]** of the intern manual.
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Additions:
~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/#folders/0B_9oPoza_FevM3FkZGJCLXNlcDA/0BxKD95i22S6CfnVwOWduczdnbng3Ymh5clhrWVFTR1JZaVdodlZmTFlzZ0JyeGdqUWphdzA Vote Smart Acknowledgement page]]** of the intern manual.
~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/#folders/0B_9oPoza_FevM3FkZGJCLXNlcDA/0BxKD95i22S6CfnVwOWduczdnbng3Ymh5clhrWVFTR1JZaVdodlZmTFlzZ0JyeGdqUWphdzA Vote Smart Pledge]]** to be nonpartisan while at the office, at Vote Smart events, and while representing the organization.
~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/#folders/0B_9oPoza_FevM3FkZGJCLXNlcDA/0BxKD95i22S6CfnVwOWduczdnbng3Ymh5clhrWVFTR1JZaVdodlZmTFlzZ0JyeGdqUWphdzA Vote Smart Pledge]]** to be nonpartisan while at the office, at Vote Smart events, and while representing the organization.
Deletions:
~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8usXzLpvJc2NXNzWEJKRUxsdkE/edit?usp=sharing Vote Smart Pledge]]** to be nonpartisan while at the office, at Vote Smart events, and while representing the organization.
Additions:
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these **[[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]]** to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with. Additionally, please review these **[[PolicyConcepts policy concepts]]** as you may come across them as you read bill texts.
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{{anchor name="WritingSummaries"}}===__Writing Summaries of Key Votes__===
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Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do is note our office's **[[CategoryTexas contact information]]** including phone numbers and staff emails. The second thing is to read the UT Intern Manual. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. At this point, you should also know the office contact information. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents:
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Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do is note our **[[CategoryTexas office's contact information]]** including phone numbers and staff emails. The second thing is to read the UT Intern Manual. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. At this point, you should also know the office contact information. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents:
Deletions:
Additions:
Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do note our **[[CategoryTexas office's contact information]]**. The second thing is to read the UT Intern Manual. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. At this point, you should also know the office contact information. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents:
Deletions:
Additions:
Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do note our **[[CategoryTexas office's contact information]]. The second thing is to read the UT Intern Manual. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. At this point, you should also know the office contact information. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents:
Deletions:
Additions:
Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do is to read the UT Intern Manual. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. At this point, you should also know the **[[CategoryTexas office contact information]]**. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents:
Deletions:
Additions:
Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do is to read the UT Intern Manual. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. At this point you should also know the **[[CategoryTexas office contact information]]**. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents:
Deletions:
Additions:
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these **[[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]]** to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with. Additionally, please review these **[[PolicyConcepts policy concepts]]** as you may come across these as you read bill texts.
Deletions:
Additions:
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these **[[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]]** to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with. Additionally, please review these [[PolicyConcepts policy concepts]] as you may come across these as you read bill texts.
Deletions:
Additions:
Another useful resource you may want to consult as you do your work is this [[BillSummarySheet guide to the bill summary sheet]]. It includes descriptions for many of the terms on the sheet, detailing exactly what information you should be including and how to find that information. If you ever have questions about anything as you go about your work, just ask any staff member. [[GoingForward Going Forward]] page provides more of this list.
Deletions:
Additions:
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Entering Votes Checklist]]**", "**[[RollCallNumbers States with Roll Call Numbers]]**", and others. It is a tedious process that requires the utmost attention to detail.
Deletions:
Additions:
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Entering Votes Checklist]]", "[[RollCallNumbers States with Roll Call Numbers]]", and others. It is a tedious process that requires the utmost attention to detail.
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Additions:
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you a bill for you to write a practice summary of, and some already-written summaries for you to practice performing a check of. You should take your time working on these summaries, and feel free to ask staff any questions you have during the process.
As you have worked through this, you might realize how specific our writing style can be. It is for this reason that we hold off on assigning interns Congressional bills until we see tremendous progress in mastering our writing requirements.
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "Entering Votes Checklist", "States with Roll Call Numbers", etc. It is a tedious process that requires the utmost attention to detail.
As you have worked through this, you might realize how specific our writing style can be. It is for this reason that we hold off on assigning interns Congressional bills until we see tremendous progress in mastering our writing requirements.
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "Entering Votes Checklist", "States with Roll Call Numbers", etc. It is a tedious process that requires the utmost attention to detail.
Deletions:
As you have worked through this, you might realize how specific our writing style can be. It is for this reason that we hold off on assigning interns Congressional bills until we see tremendous progress in mastering our writing requirements.
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "Entering Votes Checklist", "States with Roll Call Numbers", etc. It is a tedious process that requires utmost attention to detail.
Additions:
As you have worked through this, you might realize how specific our writing style can be. It is for this reason that we hold off on assigning interns Congressional bills until we see tremendous progress in mastering our writing requirements.
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "Entering Votes Checklist", "States with Roll Call Numbers", etc. It is a tedious process that requires utmost attention to detail.
As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; **it is impossible** to remember every single requirement we have, however the readings you have just completed will help you greatly as you do the work.
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Though our process out of training is to always first enter in the voting information, for training purposes, it is best to end with vote entering training. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "Entering Votes Checklist", "States with Roll Call Numbers", etc. It is a tedious process that requires utmost attention to detail.
As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; **it is impossible** to remember every single requirement we have, however the readings you have just completed will help you greatly as you do the work.
Deletions:
As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; it's impossible to remember every single requirement we have, and the sections you just read will help you greatly as you do the work.
Additions:
~- Status Updates - Where we review already selected bills to check to see if we have the latest status listed on our website for that bill
~- Web Checks - Where we double check already completed and staff-checked summaries for errors in grammar, syntax, citations, etc.
~- Tracking Media for Key Votes - Where staff assigns individuals to assist in the tracking of a state legislature
~- Legislative Wrap-Ups - Where we offer our readers a wrap-up on the most noteworthy aspects of a given state's legislative session
~- Profiles (Bios) on Political Candidates - Where we assist the Research Department (located in Montana) with searching for biographical information on candidates
~- Web Checks - Where we double check already completed and staff-checked summaries for errors in grammar, syntax, citations, etc.
~- Tracking Media for Key Votes - Where staff assigns individuals to assist in the tracking of a state legislature
~- Legislative Wrap-Ups - Where we offer our readers a wrap-up on the most noteworthy aspects of a given state's legislative session
~- Profiles (Bios) on Political Candidates - Where we assist the Research Department (located in Montana) with searching for biographical information on candidates
Deletions:
~- Web Checks
~- Tracking Media for Key Votes
~- Legislative Wrap-Ups
~- Profiles (Bios) on Political Candidates
Additions:
>>==Training Guide - Table of Contents==----
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Additions:
Throughout your time with Vote Smart, there will be opportunities to complete other projects. These include the following projects:
~- Status Updates
~- Web Checks
~- Tracking Media for Key Votes
~- Legislative Wrap-Ups
~- Profiles (Bios) on Political Candidates
~- Status Updates
~- Web Checks
~- Tracking Media for Key Votes
~- Legislative Wrap-Ups
~- Profiles (Bios) on Political Candidates
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Additions:
{{anchor name="AdminandHistory"}}===__Administrative Information and Historical Background__===
{{anchor name="KVSelectionCriteria"}}===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
{{anchor name="LegeProcess"}}===__The Legislative Process__===
{{anchor name="WritingSummaries"}}===__Writing Summaries on Key Votes__===
{{anchor name="EnteringVotes"}}===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
{{anchor name="Hints"}}===__Helpful Hints Going Forward__===
{{anchor name="OtherProjects"}}===__Other Projects__===
{{anchor name="KVSelectionCriteria"}}===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
{{anchor name="LegeProcess"}}===__The Legislative Process__===
{{anchor name="WritingSummaries"}}===__Writing Summaries on Key Votes__===
{{anchor name="EnteringVotes"}}===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
{{anchor name="Hints"}}===__Helpful Hints Going Forward__===
{{anchor name="OtherProjects"}}===__Other Projects__===
Deletions:
===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
===__The Legislative Process__===
===__Writing Summaries on Key Votes__===
===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
===__Helpful Hints Going Forward__===
Additions:
>>==Training Guide - Table of Contents==
=={{anchor target="AdminandHistory" text="Administrative and Historical Information"}}==
=={{anchor target="KVSelectionCriteria" text="Key Vote Selection Criteria"}}==
=={{anchor target="LegeProcess" text="The Legislative Process"}}==
=={{anchor target="WritingSummaries" text="Summary Writing"}}==
=={{anchor target="EnteringVotes" text="Vote Entering"}}==
=={{anchor target="Hints" text="Helpful Hints Going Forward"}}==
=={{anchor target="OtherProjects" text="Other Projects"}}==>>
=={{anchor target="AdminandHistory" text="Administrative and Historical Information"}}==
=={{anchor target="KVSelectionCriteria" text="Key Vote Selection Criteria"}}==
=={{anchor target="LegeProcess" text="The Legislative Process"}}==
=={{anchor target="WritingSummaries" text="Summary Writing"}}==
=={{anchor target="EnteringVotes" text="Vote Entering"}}==
=={{anchor target="Hints" text="Helpful Hints Going Forward"}}==
=={{anchor target="OtherProjects" text="Other Projects"}}==>>
Deletions:
Additions:
>>===Training Guide - Table of Contents===>>
Additions:
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for **[[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]]** into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "Entering Votes Checklist", "States with Roll Call Numbers", etc. It is a tedious process that requires utmost attention to detail.
Deletions:
Additions:
At this point, it's time to start reading over how to gather and enter voting records. Each Key Vote will have its Yeas and Nays listed on our website. To begin, read over the process we use for [[VoteEnteringGuide entering Key Vote information]] into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages, especially the "Entering Votes Checklist", "States with Roll Call Numbers", etc. It is a tedious process that requires utmost attention to detail.
Please let a staff member know once you have finished reading over the entering votes guide and all of its subsections. A staff member will give you a bill that you can practice entering votes for in order to make sure you understand the process. Once the practice votes have been completed and reviewed with you by a staff member, you are officially fully trained as a legislative research intern!
===__Helpful Hints Going Forward__===
Please let a staff member know once you have finished reading over the entering votes guide and all of its subsections. A staff member will give you a bill that you can practice entering votes for in order to make sure you understand the process. Once the practice votes have been completed and reviewed with you by a staff member, you are officially fully trained as a legislative research intern!
===__Helpful Hints Going Forward__===
Deletions:
In addition to learning how to enter in voting records, you will also learn how to create a title and write a synopsis. Once these have been completed and reviewed with you by your supervisor, you are officially fully trained as a legislative research intern!
Please let your supervisor know once you have finished reading over the entering votes guide and all of its subsections. Your supervisor will give you a bill that you can practice entering votes for in order to make sure you understand the process. Once the practice votes have been entered correctly, you may be given a real piece of legislation to work on that needs votes entered into our database.
==__Going Forward__==
Deletions:
=={{anchor target="Administrative" text="Introduction"}}==
=={{anchor target="overviewjumpdown" text="Overview of the Process"}}==
=={{anchor target="whatyouwillneed" text="What You Will Need"}}==>>
Additions:
=={{anchor target="Administrative" text="Introduction"}}==
=={{anchor target="overviewjumpdown" text="Overview of the Process"}}==
=={{anchor target="whatyouwillneed" text="What You Will Need"}}==>>
===__Administrative Information and Historical Background__===
===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
===__The Legislative Process__===
===__Writing Summaries on Key Votes__===
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you a bill for you to write a practice summary of, and some already-written summaries for you to practice performing a check of. You should take your time working on these summaries, and feel free to ask staff any questions you have during the process.
===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
==__Going Forward__==
=={{anchor target="overviewjumpdown" text="Overview of the Process"}}==
=={{anchor target="whatyouwillneed" text="What You Will Need"}}==>>
===__Administrative Information and Historical Background__===
===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
===__The Legislative Process__===
===__Writing Summaries on Key Votes__===
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you a bill for you to write a practice summary of, and some already-written summaries for you to practice performing a check of. You should take your time working on these summaries, and feel free to ask staff any questions you have during the process.
===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
==__Going Forward__==
Deletions:
=={{anchor target="KVSelection" text="Key Vote Selection Criteria"}}==
=={{anchor target="LegislativeProcess" text="Legislative Process Overview"}}==
=={{anchor target="WritingSummaries" text="Writing Summaries Overview"}}==
=={{anchor target="EnteringVotes" text="Entering Votes Overview"}}==
=={{anchor target="GoingForward" text="Going Forward and Helpful Hints"}}==>>
{{anchor name="AdminandHistory"}}===__Administrative Information and Historical Background__===
{{anchor name="KVSelection"}}===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
{{anchor name="LegislativeProcess"}}===__The Legislative Process__===
{{anchor name="WritingSummaries"}}===__Writing Summaries on Key Votes__===
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you a bill for you to write a practice summary of, and some already-written summaries for you to practice performing a check of.
{{anchor name="EnteringVotes"}}===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
{{anchor name="GoingForward"}}===__Going Forward__===
Additions:
=={{anchor target="AdminandHistory" text="Administrative Information and Historical Background"}}==
=={{anchor target="KVSelection" text="Key Vote Selection Criteria"}}==
=={{anchor target="LegislativeProcess" text="Legislative Process Overview"}}==
=={{anchor target="WritingSummaries" text="Writing Summaries Overview"}}==
=={{anchor target="EnteringVotes" text="Entering Votes Overview"}}==
=={{anchor target="GoingForward" text="Going Forward and Helpful Hints"}}==>>
{{anchor name="AdminandHistory"}}===__Administrative Information and Historical Background__===
{{anchor name="KVSelection"}}===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
{{anchor name="LegislativeProcess"}}===__The Legislative Process__===
{{anchor name="WritingSummaries"}}===__Writing Summaries on Key Votes__===
{{anchor name="EnteringVotes"}}===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
{{anchor name="GoingForward"}}===__Going Forward__===
=={{anchor target="KVSelection" text="Key Vote Selection Criteria"}}==
=={{anchor target="LegislativeProcess" text="Legislative Process Overview"}}==
=={{anchor target="WritingSummaries" text="Writing Summaries Overview"}}==
=={{anchor target="EnteringVotes" text="Entering Votes Overview"}}==
=={{anchor target="GoingForward" text="Going Forward and Helpful Hints"}}==>>
{{anchor name="AdminandHistory"}}===__Administrative Information and Historical Background__===
{{anchor name="KVSelection"}}===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
{{anchor name="LegislativeProcess"}}===__The Legislative Process__===
{{anchor name="WritingSummaries"}}===__Writing Summaries on Key Votes__===
{{anchor name="EnteringVotes"}}===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
{{anchor name="GoingForward"}}===__Going Forward__===
Deletions:
=={{anchor target="overviewjumpdown" text="Overview of the Process"}}==
=={{anchor target="whatyouwillneed" text="What You Will Need"}}==>>
===__Administrative Information and Historical Background__===
===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
===__The Legislative Process__===
===__Writing Summaries on Key Votes__===
===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
==__Going Forward__==
Additions:
~- Familiarize yourself with our website **[[http://votesmart.org/ votesmart.org]]**: Take a look around and explore the different features of our website.
~- Familiarize yourself with our **[[http://votesmart.org/bills#.VLmNEUfF98E Department's page]]** in our website: Take a look around and explore various issues you might be interested in.
We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. We rely on the following criteria when selecting a key vote, however not every Key Vote-candidate meets each criteria:
~- Familiarize yourself with our **[[http://votesmart.org/bills#.VLmNEUfF98E Department's page]]** in our website: Take a look around and explore various issues you might be interested in.
We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. We rely on the following criteria when selecting a key vote, however not every Key Vote-candidate meets each criteria:
Deletions:
~- Familiarize yourself with our **[[http://votesmart.org/bills#.VLmNEUfF98E Department's page]]** in our website: Take a look around and explore various issues you might be interested in
We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. We rely on the following criteria when selecting a key vote, however not ever Key Vote-candidate meets each criteria:
Additions:
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these **[[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]]** to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with.
Deletions:
Additions:
>>==Training Guide - Table of Contents==
=={{anchor target="Administrative" text="Introduction"}}==
=={{anchor target="overviewjumpdown" text="Overview of the Process"}}==
=={{anchor target="whatyouwillneed" text="What You Will Need"}}==>>
=={{anchor target="Administrative" text="Introduction"}}==
=={{anchor target="overviewjumpdown" text="Overview of the Process"}}==
=={{anchor target="whatyouwillneed" text="What You Will Need"}}==>>
Additions:
We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. We rely on the following criteria when selecting a key vote, however not ever Key Vote-candidate meets each criteria:
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with.
After you have re-familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success.
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with.
After you have re-familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success.
Deletions:
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with.
After you have re-familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success.
Additions:
~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8usXzLpvJc2aGVaWTluMUJuSUE/edit?usp=sharing Vote Smart Acknowledgement page]]** of the intern manual.
~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8usXzLpvJc2NXNzWEJKRUxsdkE/edit?usp=sharing Vote Smart Pledge]]** to be nonpartisan while at the office, at Vote Smart events, and while representing the organization.
~- **[[PVSAbout About Vote Smart]]**: This page briefly describes the mission of the organization and its operating ideology.
~- **[[PVSHistory History of Vote Smart]]**: This page, written by Vote Smart President and founder Richard Kimball, describes the events leading to the founding of the organization, as well as how Vote Smart has evolved over the years.
~- **[[IntrotoResearch Vote Smart Departments]]**: This page provides an overview of the various departments of the organization and the major projects that those departments are responsible for. (You can skim the information regarding other departments, but fully read the Key Votes Department section.)
~- Familiarize yourself with our website **[[http://votesmart.org/ votesmart.org]]**: Take a look around and explore the different features of our website
~- Familiarize yourself with our **[[http://votesmart.org/bills#.VLmNEUfF98E Department's page]]** in our website: Take a look around and explore various issues you might be interested in
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with.
After you have re-familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success.
~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8usXzLpvJc2NXNzWEJKRUxsdkE/edit?usp=sharing Vote Smart Pledge]]** to be nonpartisan while at the office, at Vote Smart events, and while representing the organization.
~- **[[PVSAbout About Vote Smart]]**: This page briefly describes the mission of the organization and its operating ideology.
~- **[[PVSHistory History of Vote Smart]]**: This page, written by Vote Smart President and founder Richard Kimball, describes the events leading to the founding of the organization, as well as how Vote Smart has evolved over the years.
~- **[[IntrotoResearch Vote Smart Departments]]**: This page provides an overview of the various departments of the organization and the major projects that those departments are responsible for. (You can skim the information regarding other departments, but fully read the Key Votes Department section.)
~- Familiarize yourself with our website **[[http://votesmart.org/ votesmart.org]]**: Take a look around and explore the different features of our website
~- Familiarize yourself with our **[[http://votesmart.org/bills#.VLmNEUfF98E Department's page]]** in our website: Take a look around and explore various issues you might be interested in
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our **[[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]** and the United States House of Representatives **[[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]**. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with.
After you have re-familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on **[[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]**. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success.
Deletions:
~- The [[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8usXzLpvJc2NXNzWEJKRUxsdkE/edit?usp=sharing Vote Smart Pledge]] to be nonpartisan while at the office, at Vote Smart events, and while representing the organization.
~- [[PVSAbout About Vote Smart]]: This page briefly describes the mission of the organization and its operating ideology.
~- [[PVSHistory History of Vote Smart]]: This page, written by Vote Smart President and founder Richard Kimball, describes the events leading to the founding of the organization, as well as how Vote Smart has evolved over the years.
~- [[IntrotoResearch Vote Smart Departments]]: This page provides an overview of the various departments of the organization and the major projects that those departments are responsible for. (You can skim the information regarding other departments, but fully read the Key Votes Department section.)
~- Familiarize yourself with our website [[http://votesmart.org/ votesmart.org]]: Take a look around and explore the different features of our website
~- Familiarize yourself with our [[http://votesmart.org/bills#.VLmNEUfF98E Department's page]] in our website: Take a look around and explore various issues you might be interested in
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our [[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]] and the United States House of Representatives [[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with.
After you have re-familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on [[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success.
Additions:
After you have re-familiarized yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the Key Votes Department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in a clear, concise, and nonpartisan way. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on [[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links. As mentioned in the guide, in addition to writing original summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy and has been a crucial component to Vote Smart's success.
Deletions:
In addition to entering votes and writing summaries, you will also be asked to perform checks of the work of your fellow interns. This is done to ensure maximum accuracy. The final section you should read describes how to do these [[KVChecks vote and summary checks]].
Additions:
//If at any point in the course of your training (or the internship in general) you have questions about anything you read or are asked to do, **please** ask your supervisor or another staff member for assistance. It's what we're here for!//----
Deletions:
Additions:
When you have completed re-familiarizing yourself with the legislative process and with legislative terminology, it's time to learn how to complete the most substantial work of the department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in clear and concise plain English. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on [[SummaryWritingGuide how to write Key Vote summaries]]. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section, along with embedded hyperlinks. Be sure to attentively read all sections and follow all links.
Deletions:
Additions:
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our [[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]] and the United States House of Representatives [[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. You can skip those legislative terms you already know, but we ask that you skim through those you aren't too familiar with.
Deletions:
Additions:
Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our [[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]] and the United States House of Representatives [[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]. Please read this over, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process as a base understanding will benefit everyone's time here. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. The glossaries page also includes explanations of common policy concepts that you may encounter (i.e. school vouchers, renewable portfolio standard).
Deletions:
Additions:
===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
Deletions:
Additions:
~- [[IntrotoResearch Vote Smart Departments]]: This page provides an overview of the various departments of the organization and the major projects that those departments are responsible for. (You can skim the information regarding other departments, but fully read the Key Votes Department section.)
~- Familiarize yourself with our website [[http://votesmart.org/ votesmart.org]]: Take a look around and explore the different features of our website
~- Familiarize yourself with our website [[http://votesmart.org/ votesmart.org]]: Take a look around and explore the different features of our website
Deletions:
~- Familiarize yourself with our website [[http://votesmart.org/ votesmart.org]]: Take a look around and explore the different parts of our website
No Differences
Additions:
~- Familiarize yourself with our website [[http://votesmart.org/ votesmart.org]]: Take a look around and explore the different parts of our website
Deletions:
Additions:
~- Familiarize yourself with our [[http://votesmart.org/bills#.VLmNEUfF98E Department's page]] in our website: Take a look around and explore various issues you might be interested in
Additions:
~- Familiarize yourself with our website: Take a look around and explore the different parts of our website [[http://votesmart.org/ votesmart.org]]
Deletions:
Additions:
===__Administrative Information and Historical Background__===
Deletions:
Additions:
Before beginning your internship training, there are a few administrative issues that need to be taken care of. The first thing you should do is to read the UT Intern Manual. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the policies or procedures described, please bring them to the attention of a staff member immediately. After reading the manual, you need to sign and return to your supervisor the following two documents:
Deletions:
Additions:
~- [[IntrotoResearch Vote Smart Departments and Structure]]: (You can skim the information regarding other departments, but fully read the Key Votes Department section) This page provides an overview of the various departments of the organization and the major projects that those departments are responsible for.
Deletions:
Additions:
~- The [[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8usXzLpvJc2aGVaWTluMUJuSUE/edit?usp=sharing Vote Smart Acknowledgement page]] of the intern manual.
Deletions:
Additions:
To start your training, we want to give you some general background and information about Vote Smart as a whole. Some of this information should have been covered in your initial orientation, but just in case anything was missed please read the following pages:
Deletions:
Additions:
===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
Deletions:
Additions:
===__Writing Summaries on Key Votes__===
===____Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
===____Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
Deletions:
===__Entering Key Votes, Creating a Title, and Writing a Synopsis__===
Additions:
===__General and Administrative Information__===
Deletions:
No Differences
No Differences
Additions:
==__General and Administrative Information__==
===What Constitutes a Key Vote?===
==__Going Forward__==
===What Constitutes a Key Vote?===
==__Going Forward__==
Deletions:
Welcome to Vote Smart!
===What is a Key Vote?===
==Going Forward==
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=====Legislative Research Department Training Guide - Welcome to Vote Smart!=====----
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=====Legislative Research Department Training Guide=====----
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===What is a Key Vote?===
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We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. We rely on the following criteria when selecting a key vote, however not ever Key Vote-candidate meets each criteria:
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We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. Typically, we rely on the following criteria when selecting a key vote:
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No Differences
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==Tracking Legislation==
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~-The vote is helpful in portraying how a legislator stands on a particular issue;
~-The vote is clear for most people to understand;
~-The vote has received national or statewide media attention;
~-The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin; and
~-Occasionally, a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Vote Smart Hotline. The relevant votes from the bill may then be selected as key votes.
~-The vote is clear for most people to understand;
~-The vote has received national or statewide media attention;
~-The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin; and
~-Occasionally, a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Vote Smart Hotline. The relevant votes from the bill may then be selected as key votes.
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The vote is clear for most people to understand;
The vote has received national or statewide media attention;
The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin; and
Occasionally, a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Vote Smart Hotline. The relevant votes from the bill may then be selected as key votes.@@
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@@ ~-The vote is helpful in portraying how a legislator stands on a particular issue;
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Once you're done reading over the general Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our [[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]] and the United States House of Representatives [[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]. This is basically Government 101, and so it's likely that you are already familiar with the majority of the content. Please read it over anyway, though, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. The glossaries page also includes explanations of common policy concepts that you may encounter (i.e. school vouchers, renewable portfolio standard).
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~-==Tracking Legislation==
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~- [[PVSHistory History of Vote Smart]]: This page, written by Vote Smart President and founder Richard Kimball, describes the events leading to the founding of the organization, as well as how Vote Smart has evolved over the years.
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===__The Legislative Process__===
===__Writing Summaries and Performing Checks__===
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you a bill for you to write a practice summary of, and some already-written summaries for you to practice performing a check of.
===__Entering Key Votes, Creating a Title, and Writing a Synopsis__===
In addition to learning how to enter in voting records, you will also learn how to create a title and write a synopsis. Once these have been completed and reviewed with you by your supervisor, you are officially fully trained as a legislative research intern!
===__Writing Summaries and Performing Checks__===
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you a bill for you to write a practice summary of, and some already-written summaries for you to practice performing a check of.
===__Writing Summaries and Performing Checks__===
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you a bill for you to write a practice summary of, and some already-written summaries for you to practice performing a check of.
===__Entering Key Votes, Creating a Title, and Writing a Synopsis__===
In addition to learning how to enter in voting records, you will also learn how to create a title and write a synopsis. Once these have been completed and reviewed with you by your supervisor, you are officially fully trained as a legislative research intern!
===__Writing Summaries and Performing Checks__===
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you a bill for you to write a practice summary of, and some already-written summaries for you to practice performing a check of.
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===Entering Key Votes, Creating a Title, and Writing a Synopsis===
In addition to learning how to enter in voting records, you will also learn how to create a title and write a synopsis.
===Writing Vote Summaries and Performing Checks===
Let your supervisor know once you have finished reading all of the above sections. He or she will then give you a bill for you to write a practice summary of, and some already-written summaries for you to practice performing a check of. Once these have been completed and reviewed with you by your supervisor, you are officially fully trained as a legislative research intern!
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~- The [[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8usXzLpvJc2NXNzWEJKRUxsdkE/edit?usp=sharing Vote Smart Pledge]] to be nonpartisan while at the office, at Vote Smart events, and while representing the organization.
Once we have the above documents we can start your training. To begin with, we want to give you some general background and information about Vote Smart as a whole. Most of this information should have been covered in your initial orientation, but just in case you missed anything please read the following pages:
~- [[PVSAbout About Vote Smart]]: This page briefly describes the mission of the organization and its operating ideology.
~- [[IntrotoResearch Vote Smart Departments and Structure]]: This page provides an overview of the various departments of the organization and the major projects that those departments are responsible for.
~- [[PVSHistory History of Vote Smart]]: This page, written by Vote Smart President and founder Richard Kimball, describes the events leading to the founding of the organization, as well as how the Project has evolved over the years.
Occasionally, a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Vote Smart Hotline. The relevant votes from the bill may then be selected as key votes.@@
===The Legislative Process===
===Entering Key Votes, Creating a Title, and Writing a Synopsis===
===Writing Vote Summaries and Performing Checks===
Once we have the above documents we can start your training. To begin with, we want to give you some general background and information about Vote Smart as a whole. Most of this information should have been covered in your initial orientation, but just in case you missed anything please read the following pages:
~- [[PVSAbout About Vote Smart]]: This page briefly describes the mission of the organization and its operating ideology.
~- [[IntrotoResearch Vote Smart Departments and Structure]]: This page provides an overview of the various departments of the organization and the major projects that those departments are responsible for.
~- [[PVSHistory History of Vote Smart]]: This page, written by Vote Smart President and founder Richard Kimball, describes the events leading to the founding of the organization, as well as how the Project has evolved over the years.
Occasionally, a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Vote Smart Hotline. The relevant votes from the bill may then be selected as key votes.@@
===The Legislative Process===
===Entering Key Votes, Creating a Title, and Writing a Synopsis===
===Writing Vote Summaries and Performing Checks===
Deletions:
Once we have the above documents we can start your training. To begin with, we want to give you some general background and information about Project Vote Smart as a whole. Most of this information should have been covered in your initial orientation, but just in case you missed anything please read the following pages:
~- [[PVSAbout About Project Vote Smart]]: This page briefly describes the mission of the organization and its operating ideology.
~- [[IntrotoResearch Project Vote Smart Departments and Structure]]: This page provides an overview of the various departments of the organization and the major projects that those departments are responsible for.
~- [[PVSHistory History of Project Vote Smart]]: This page, written by Project Vote Smart President and founder Richard Kimball, describes the events leading to the founding of the organization, as well as how the Project has evolved over the years.
Occasionally, a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the PVS Hotline. The relevant votes from the bill may then be selected as key votes.@@
==The Legislative Process==
==Entering Key Votes, Creating a Title, and Writing a Synopsis==
==Writing Vote Summaries and Performing Checks==
Additions:
~-===Tracking Legislation===
We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. Typically, we rely on the following criteria when selecting a key vote:
@@ The vote is helpful in portraying how a legislator stands on a particular issue;
The vote is clear for most people to understand;
The vote has received national or statewide media attention;
The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin; and
Occasionally, a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the PVS Hotline. The relevant votes from the bill may then be selected as key votes.@@
We track legislation in all 50 states, as well as the US Congress, in order to find key votes. We scour through legislative websites, news sources, and legislative journals to track down the important bills that the people want to know about. Typically, we rely on the following criteria when selecting a key vote:
@@ The vote is helpful in portraying how a legislator stands on a particular issue;
The vote is clear for most people to understand;
The vote has received national or statewide media attention;
The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin; and
Occasionally, a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the PVS Hotline. The relevant votes from the bill may then be selected as key votes.@@
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Welcome to Vote Smart!
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//If at any point in the course of your training (or the internship in general) you have questions about anything you read or are asked to do, **please** ask your supervisor or another staff member for assistance. It's what we're here for!//
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Once you're done reading over the general Project Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our [[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]] and the United States House of Representatives [[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process]]. This is basically Government 101, and so it's likely that you are already familiar with the majority of the content. Please read it over anyway, though, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. The glossaries page also includes explanations of common policy concepts that you may encounter (i.e. school vouchers, renewable portfolio standard).
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Once you're done reading over the general Project Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our [[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]] and the United States House of Representatives [[http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/ description of the legislative process. This is basically Government 101, and so it's likely that you are already familiar with the majority of the content. Please read it over anyway, though, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. The glossaries page also includes explanations of common policy concepts that you may encounter (i.e. school vouchers, renewable portfolio standard).
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At this point, it's time to start reading over how to do the actual work you'll be asked to do while interning with us. To start with, read over the process we use for [[EnteringVotesGuide entering key vote information]] into our database. These are pages that you will be referring back to often, so there is no reason to try and memorize the content. Instead you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the different resources we have on these pages like the "Entering Votes Checklist", "States with Roll Call Numbers", etc.
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~- Familiarize yourself with our website: Take a look around and explore the different parts of our website www.votesmart.org
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~- The [[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8usXzLpvJc2aGVaWTluMUJuSUE/edit?usp=sharing acknowledgement page]] of the intern manual.
~- The [[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8usXzLpvJc2NXNzWEJKRUxsdkE/edit?usp=sharing Project Vote Smart Pledge]] to be nonpartisan while at the office, at Project events, and while representing the organization.
~- The [[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8usXzLpvJc2NXNzWEJKRUxsdkE/edit?usp=sharing Project Vote Smart Pledge]] to be nonpartisan while at the office, at Project events, and while representing the organization.
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~- The [[http://www.fileden.com/files/2011/1/11/3056917/Project%20Vote%20Smart%20Pledge.pdf Project Vote Smart Pledge]] to be nonpartisan while at the office, at Project events, and while representing the organization.
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~- [[Usingthewebsite Familiarize yourself with our website]]: This page was originally designed to train people who answer the Voter's Research Hotline at our Montana office, but it is also useful to help you gain experience navigating our website and finding various types of information. Please use only our website to answer the questions on the page; you don't have to write down your answers as this is merely to help you get familiar with our website's navigation and content. If a question asks you about an individual who is no longer in office, find the same information for your local elected official instead. If you have any problems finding an answer to any of these questions, let your supervisor know and he or she will be able to show you where the information is located on our website.
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In addition to learning how to enter in voting records, you will also learn how to create a title and write a synopsis.
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==Entering Key Votes, Creating a Title, and Writing a Synopsis==
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Additions:
Once you're done reading over the general Project Vote Smart information, spend some time reading our [[LegislativeProcessGuide introduction to the legislative process]]. This is basically Government 101, and so it's likely that you are already familiar with the majority of the content. Please read it over anyway, though, as we want to make sure that everyone starts the internship with the same basic level of knowledge about the legislative process. While reading this (or at any other point in the internship), you may find these [[Glossaries glossaries of legislative terms]] to be useful. The glossaries page also includes explanations of common policy concepts that you may encounter (i.e. school vouchers, renewable portfolio standard).
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==General and Administrative Information==
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~- [[IntrotoResearch Project Vote Smart Departments and Structure]]: This page provides an overview of the various departments of the organization and the major projects that those departments are responsible for.
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Another useful resource you may want to consult as you do your work is this [[BillSummarySheet guide to the bill summary sheet]]. It includes descriptions for many of the terms on the sheet, detailing exactly what information you should be including and how to find that information. If you ever have questions about anything as you go about your work, just ask any staff member.
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==Going Forward==
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Another useful resource you may want to consult as you do your work is this [[BillSummarySheet guide to the bill summary sheet]]. It includes descriptions for many of the terms on the sheet, detailing exactly what information you should be including, and how to find that information. If you ever have questions about anything as you go about your work, just ask any staff member.
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As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please refer back frequently to these guides**. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; it's impossible to remember every single requirement we have, and the sections you just read will help you greatly as you do the work.
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As you perform your work throughout the internship, **please** refer back frequently to these guides. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; it's impossible to remember every single requirement we have, and the sections you just read will help you greatly as you do the work.
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As you perform your work throughout the internship, //**please**// refer back frequently to these guides. The departmental work process is complicated and we have lots of specific guidelines that need to be met for every vote and summary; it's impossible to remember every single requirement we have, and the sections you just read will help you greatly as you do the work.
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When you have mastered entering votes, it's time to learn how to do the more important and interesting work of the department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in clear and concise plain English. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on [[WritingSummaries how to write key vote summaries]]. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section divided among a number of subsections. Be sure to read all sections and follow all links.
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When you have mastered entering votes, it's time to learn how to do the more important and interesting work of the department: reading significant pieces of legislation from across the country and summarizing their main provisions in clear and concise plain English. To get familiar with this process, please look over our guide on how to [[WritingSummaries write key vote summaries]]. Please note that there is a lot of information in this section divided among a number of subsections. Be sure to read all sections and follow all links.
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At this point, it's time to start reading over how to do the actual work you'll be asked to do while interning with us. To start with, read over the process we use for [[EnteringVotesGuide entering key vote information]] into our database. You can feel free to skip over the section called "Preparing the Folder". In most cases, the key vote folder will already be prepared for you, but it can't hurt for you to read over this and become familiar with a folder's contents if you like. You should also skip the addendum called "Congressional Votes". While you may eventually be reading and summarizing some Congressional bills, you will not be asked to enter the votes for those bills.
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~- [[HotlineWorksheet Familiarize yourself with our website]]: This page was originally designed to train people who answer the Voter's Research Hotline at our Montana office, but it is also useful to help you gain experience navigating our website and finding various types of information. Please use only our website to answer the questions on the page; you don't have to write down your answers as this is merely to help you get familiar with our website's navigation and content. If a question asks you about an individual who is no longer in office, find the same information for your local elected official instead. If you have any problems finding an answer to any of these questions, let your supervisor know and he or she will be able to show you where the information is located on our website.
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~- [[HotlineWorksheet Familiarize yourself with our website]]: This page was originally designed to train people who answer the Voter's Research Hotline at our Montana office, but it is also useful to help you gain experience navigating our website and finding various types of information. Please use only our website to answer the questions on the page; you don't have to write down your answers as this is merely to help you get familiar with our website's navigation and content. If a question asks you about an individual who is no longer in office, find the same information for your local elected official. If you have any problems finding an answer to any of these questions, let your supervisor know and he or she will be able to show you where the information is located on our website.
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====Legislative Research Department Intern Training Guide====----
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Please let your supervisor know once you have finished reading over the entering votes guide and all of its subsections. Your supervisor will give you a bill that you can practice entering votes for in order to make sure you understand the process. Once the practice votes have been entered correctly, you may be given a real piece of legislation to work on that needs votes entered into our database.
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==The Legislative Process==
==Entering Key Votes==
==Writing Vote Summaries and Performing Checks==
==Entering Key Votes==
==Writing Vote Summaries and Performing Checks==
