S 27 ISCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To establish the Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Program.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

January 7, 2009CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. SCHUMER (for himself, Mrs. CLINTON, and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and AdministrationCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To establish the Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Program.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Act of 2009’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) Each year, many of the most talented law school graduates in the country begin their legal careers as judicial law clerks.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) The judicial clerkship program has given the judiciary access to a pool of exceptional young lawyers at a relatively low cost.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) These same lawyers then go on to become leaders of their profession, where they serve a critical role in helping to educate the public about the judiciary and the judicial process.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) The White House, the administrative agencies of the Executive Branch, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Federal Judicial Center, and the United States Sentencing Commission, all operate analogous programs for talented young professionals at the outset of their careers.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) The Congress is without a similar program.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(6) At a time when our Nation faces considerable challenges, the Congress and the public would benefit immeasurably from a program, modeled after the judicial clerkship program, that engages the brightest young lawyers in the Nation in the legislative process.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(7) Accordingly, the Congress herein creates the Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Program, named after one of the most admired and distinguished lawyer-legislators ever to serve in the Congress, to improve the business of the Congress and increase the understanding of its work by the public.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 3. DANIEL WEBSTER CONGRESSIONAL CLERKSHIP PROGRAM.

(a) Selection Committees- As used in this Act, the term ‘Selection Committees’ means the--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Establishment of Program- There is hereby established the Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Program for the appointment of individuals who are graduates of accredited law schools to serve as Congressional Clerks in the Senate or House of Representatives.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Selection of Clerks- Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Selection Committees shall select Congressional Clerks in the following manner:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) The Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate shall select not less than 6 Congressional Clerks each year to serve as employees of the Senate for a 1-year period.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) The Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives shall select not less than 6 Congressional Clerks each year to serve as employees of the House of Representatives for a 1-year period.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(d) Selection Criteria- In carrying out subsection (c), the Selection Committees shall select Congressional Clerks consistent with the following criteria:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) Each Congressional Clerk selected shall be a graduate of an accredited law school as of the starting date of his or her clerkship.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) Each Congressional Clerk selected shall possess--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) an excellent academic record;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) a strong record of achievement in extracurricular activities;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) a demonstrated commitment to public service; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(D) outstanding analytic, writing, and oral communication skills.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(e) Process- After a Congressional Clerk is selected under this section, such Congressional Clerk shall then interview for a position in an office as follows:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) For a Congressional Clerk selected under subsection (c)(1), the Congressional Clerk shall interview for a position with any office of any Committee of the Senate, including any Joint Committee or Select and Special Committee, or any office of any individual member of the Senate.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) For a Congressional Clerk selected under subsection (c)(2), the Congressional Clerk shall interview for a position with any office of any Committee of the House of Representatives, including any Joint Committee or Select and Special Committee, or any office of any individual Member of the House of Representatives.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(f) Placement Requirements- The Selection Committees shall ensure that Congressional Clerks selected under this section are apportioned equally between majority party and minority party offices.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(g) Compensation of Congressional Clerks- Each Congressional Clerk selected under this section shall receive the same compensation as would, and comparable benefits to, an individual who holds the position of a judicial clerkship for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia within 3 months of graduating from law school.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(h) Required Adherence to Rules- Each Congressional Clerk selected under this section shall be subject to all laws, regulations, and rules in the same manner and to the same extent as any other employee of the Senate or House of Representatives.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) Exclusion From Limit on Number of Positions- A Congressional Clerk shall be excluded in determining the number of employees of the office that employs the Clerk for purposes of--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in the case of the office of a Member of the House of Representatives, section 104 of the House of Representatives Administrative Reform Technical Corrections Act (2 U.S.C. 92); orCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in the case of any other office, any applicable provision of law or any rule or regulation which imposes a limit on the number of employees of the office.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(j) Rules- The Selection Committees shall develop and promulgate rules regarding the administration of the Congressional Clerkship program established under this section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(k) Member Defined- In this section, the term ‘Member of the House of Representatives’ includes a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2010 and each succeeding fiscal year from the applicable accounts of the House of Representatives and the contingent fund of the Senate such sums as necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink