---

Jacob Turner-Barrett, a senior with a double major in Political Science and Public Administration was recently selected for the 2016 Legislative Research Commission Intern Program. As a part of his internship, Turner-Barrett will work with the Kentucky General Assembly during the 2016 Regular Session.

“Interning at the LRC is something I have wanted to do since I found out that it was an option,” said Turner-Barrett, a transfer student from Somerset, Kentucky.

He previously worked in the non-profit civil rights sector where he lobbied state-elected officials before returning to school.  “I became quickly aware that legislating was more than creating a bill and that there was a staff of people that helped officials research an issue in a nonpartisan way. I realized that I would like the opportunity to be part of that process,” he said.

The Kentucky Legislative Research Commission is a 16-member committee, comprised of the majority and minority leadership of the Kentucky Senate and House of Representatives. The 2016 program will run from January through April 2016 and will include a two-day orientation in November, prior to the convening of the 2016 General Assembly. The program selects no more than 20 students each year.

“Being selected has given me a great sense of pride for not only myself, but for my family. I am also excited in being able to represent Kentucky State University as part of the undergraduate interns at the LRC,” Turner-Barrett said.

Students will spend four months working with Legislative Research Commission staff and members of the General Assembly. They will be trained and treated like full employees of the LRC. Students are placed in one of five areas that best suits their skills and interests.

Turner-Barrett says he hopes to learn more about the behind-the-scenes work that it takes to “legislate and research the issues confronting the state at large.”

He also wants to make connections with other interns and professional contacts as he navigates through the program. His goal through the program is to “perhaps show the LRC staff that I would be a worthy candidate for the Graduate Fellows program that I intend on applying for while continuing my graduate studies at Kentucky State University.”