Wiki source for UTInternTraining
=====Legislative Research Department Training Guide - Welcome to Vote Smart!=====----
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!
----
>>==Training Guide - Table of Contents==
=={{anchor target="AdminandHistory" text="Administrative & 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="FinalNote" text="Final Note"}}==>>
{{anchor name="AdminandHistory"}}===__Administrative Information & Historical Background__===
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:
~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CZ3lDSGxwcFd2Sm8&authuser=1 Vote Smart Acknowledgement]]** page of the intern manual.
~- 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.
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:
~- **[[PVSAbout About Vote Smart]]**: This page briefly describes the mission of the organization and its operating ideology.
~- **[[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.
~- **[[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]]** 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.
{{anchor name="KVSelectionCriteria"}}===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
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 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, or on party lines; 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.
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.
{{anchor name="LegeProcess"}}===__The Legislative Process__===
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.
{{anchor name="WritingSummaries"}}===__Writing Summaries of Key Votes__===
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.
{{anchor name="EnteringVotes"}}===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
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!
{{anchor name="Hints"}}===__Helpful Hints Going Forward__===
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.
{{anchor name="OtherProjects"}}===__Other Projects__===
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:
~- 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
~- Vetoes - Interns can assist in tracking and gathering documents relating to vetoes
{{anchor name="FinalNote"}}===__FINAL NOTE__===
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;
~-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; and
~-Develop a writing style that is clear, concise, and nonpartisan.
@@This space intentionally left blank@@
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!
----
>>==Training Guide - Table of Contents==
=={{anchor target="AdminandHistory" text="Administrative & 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="FinalNote" text="Final Note"}}==>>
{{anchor name="AdminandHistory"}}===__Administrative Information & Historical Background__===
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:
~- The **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CZ3lDSGxwcFd2Sm8&authuser=1 Vote Smart Acknowledgement]]** page of the intern manual.
~- 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.
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:
~- **[[PVSAbout About Vote Smart]]**: This page briefly describes the mission of the organization and its operating ideology.
~- **[[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.
~- **[[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]]** 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.
{{anchor name="KVSelectionCriteria"}}===__What Constitutes a Key Vote?__===
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 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, or on party lines; 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.
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.
{{anchor name="LegeProcess"}}===__The Legislative Process__===
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.
{{anchor name="WritingSummaries"}}===__Writing Summaries of Key Votes__===
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.
{{anchor name="EnteringVotes"}}===__Entering Voting Records and Bill Histories of Key Votes__===
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!
{{anchor name="Hints"}}===__Helpful Hints Going Forward__===
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.
{{anchor name="OtherProjects"}}===__Other Projects__===
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:
~- 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
~- Vetoes - Interns can assist in tracking and gathering documents relating to vetoes
{{anchor name="FinalNote"}}===__FINAL NOTE__===
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;
~-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; and
~-Develop a writing style that is clear, concise, and nonpartisan.
@@This space intentionally left blank@@
