This bill will authorize the placement of nonpartisan policy fellows in the Legislative Council staff through agreements with external nonpartisan organizations, while maintaining legislative ownership and oversight of all fellowship activities.
Fellowship Agreements
The Legislative Council is authorized to approve agreements between:
The Director of Research of the Legislative Council
External nonpartisan organizations
Purpose: To host nonpartisan legislative policy fellows who assist with legislative research and policy analysis
Role and Scope of Fellows’ Work
Fellows may:
Conduct nonpartisan policy research
Assist with data analysis, legislative briefs, or reports
Support legislative staff in research and technical tasks
Fellows cannot engage in advocacy or partisan activities
Oversight and Supervision
The Director of Research retains full supervisory authority over:
The fellows’ work
The terms and conditions of each fellowship
Ensures alignment with nonpartisan legislative standards
Ownership of Work Product
Any research, documents, or analysis produced by a fellow:
Remains the property of the General Assembly
Applies during and after the fellowship period
Overall Effect
Supports the Legislative Council staff by leveraging external nonpartisan talent
Maintains state control over work and safeguards neutrality and confidentiality
Enhances the General Assembly’s research capacity without compromising independence or ownership of legislative materials
Summary
The bill authorizes the legislative council to approve agreements
between the director of research of the legislative council and nonpartisan organizations to place nonpartisan legislative policy fellows (fellows) in the legislative council staff. The bill also specifies the types of work that fellows may do, requires the director of research to retain supervisory authority over fellows, including over the terms and conditions of the fellowship, and requires any work product produced by a fellow during the fellowship to remain the property of the general assembly during and after the conclusion of the fellowship.
