The internship experience is typically considered to provide an educational benefit for that individual. To enhance accountability for unpaid interns, the House or Senate ethics committees or individual congressional offices can set standards for unpaid interns to abide by that mirror some of the same rules that paid interns or congressional employees follow. Giving and Receiving Gifts

Paid interns are required to follow the House or Senate gift rules that apply to regular employees, and the House and Senate ethics committees advise that unpaid interns should also abide by the gift rules. Offices often provide additional information or guidance to interns about congressional operations or resources. In the Senate, offices may wish to contact the Senate Disbursing Office, Office of Legal Counsel, Select Committee on Ethics, or the Committee on Rules and Administration for guidance on employing noncitizen interns. Interns may receive pay from the congressional office they work in, if the office decides to provide it. In the House, the Committee on House Administration has set a gross annual rate of pay for interns for Member and committee offices to follow. Many educational institutions or other organizations sponsor congressional internships, and interns may receive stipends from these groups for their internships. Some of these internship opportunities are listed in CRS Report 98-654, Internships, Fellowships, and Other Work Experience Opportunities in the Federal Government . How many interns can an office have? The same House and Senate rules and policies generally apply to district or state office interns and to Washington, DC, office interns. Other courses offered by the Senate Office of Education and Training or the Senate Library may be open to interns if space permits. What congressional programs are available for interns?
Many interns serve Congress, assisting individual Members, committees, and other offices or support services. Interns serve the House or Senate in a temporary capacity, primarily for an educational benefit, although some interns may receive pay for their service. Like many aspects of congressional operations, individual House or Senate offices can make many of their own rules and guidelines for interns, if they choose to operate an internship program. Additional institutional rules, however, may also apply. In the House, policies set by the Committee on Ethics or the Committee on House Administration may also affect congressional offices and interns, and in the Senate, additional relevant policies may be set by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics or the Committee on Rules and Administration.
This report addresses frequently asked questions (FAQs) about congressional interns and internships. It is intended to provide information to congressional offices about the role of interns and to provide a summary of some of the policies and guidance provided by the House and the Senate related to internships. It addresses the House and Senate rules that apply to congressional internships, factors that may affect an office's selection process and an individual's eligibility to serve in an internship, and some of the congressional resources and training opportunities available for interns. For additional information about internship opportunities, refer to CRS Report 98-654, Internships, Fellowships, and Other Work Experience Opportunities in the Federal Government .