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No more working for free: Here’s what Bay Area lawmakers pay their interns

April 11, 2019

WASHINGTON — Congressional offices for the first time have money set aside to pay interns. Bay Area lawmakers are beginning to use it.

Capitol Hill lawmakers have welcomed interns for years, but often they were unpaid. With Washington, D.C., being one of the most expensive cities in the country, the lack of pay was a barrier to many students and recent graduates who could not afford to work for free.

The issue drew attention last fall when lawmakers approved money to fund interns in both the House and Senate. When a new crop of Democratic lawmakers was elected in November, some spoke out about the high cost of living in D.C. and the importance of giving interns not just the federal minimum pay of $7.25 an hour, but an amount that came closer to a living wage.

Still, skepticism has persisted about whether Congress allocated enough money to pay interns such a wage. The funding allotment is $8.8 million for the House and $5 million for the Senate, which comes out to about $1,700 per month for each House office — roughly the equivalent of one intern — and less than $4,200 per month for each office in the Senate. Members may allocate their general office funds to cover interns as well.

The Chronicle surveyed Bay Area lawmakers last year about their plans for paying interns, but many were awaiting guidance on how to implement the newly appropriated funds. The House Administration Committee, chaired by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, has now issued that guidance, so we asked again.

Additionally, after scrutiny of the family leave policies in the Senate office of presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., The Chronicle asked Bay Area lawmakers how their offices provide for employees who want to take time off to care for loved ones.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein: Her office will take the $4,200 monthly per-office stipend and divide it evenly among the interns who are eligible to be paid, a spokesman said. Among those who are not eligible under congressional rules are young undocumented immigrants who have protection from deportation and legal authorization to work under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Parents in Feinstein's office with a newborn or adopted child get up to eight weeks of paid leave, and mothers who have delivered newborns can take an additional four paid weeks.

Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris: Her office pays seven interns per four-month term. It did not say how much they are paid.

New parents may take 12 weeks of paid leave.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco: Pelosi will hire one Pell Grant recipient as an intern for a semester at $15 an hour, a spokesman said.

Employees can take 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn, adopt or foster a child, or care for a sick relative or his or her own medical condition.

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord: His office will offer two full-time paid internships and will include need and diversity in the selection process, a spokeswoman said.

Employees can take 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn, adopt a child or care for a sick relative or his or her own medical condition.

Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto: Interns are being paid as of this month, with back pay to the beginning of the year, a spokesman said. He did not say how much they receive.

"I'm very pleased that the House will begin paying interns for their hard work and service," Eshoo said in a statement. "Interns deserve remuneration and they're finally receiving it."

New parents may take 12 weeks of paid leave.

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael: Interns will be paid differently based on need, his office said.

New parents can take 12 weeks of paid leave, and employees may take six weeks of paid leave to care for a close relative. Employees may take an additional unpaid six weeks of family care leave and an additional 20 unpaid weeks if the family member is a veteran and the medical condition is service-related.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Fremont: Khanna is paying all his interns $15 per hour.

"I had paid my entire intern class a $15/hour living wage in both my district and D.C. offices long before it was congressional policy to do so," Khanna said in a statement. The money for interns in district offices comes from Khanna's general office funding, as the appropriations for interns may be used only for those based in Washington.

Employees can take three months of paid leave for birth, adoption or a loss in the family.

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland: Interns in her Washington and Oakland offices have been paid $15 an hour since January.

New parents may take 12 weeks of paid leave.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose: Her office will pay interns based on need, a spokesman said. Specifics are being finalized.

Mothers of newborns or adopted children can take three months' paid leave in a year, and fathers can take a month of paid leave in six months. Staffers can take 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a relative with health problems.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo: Interns are receiving an unspecified stipend, an aide said.

Her office did not respond to the inquiry about family leave.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin: Swalwell intends to pay interns per House rules "as soon as practical," a spokeswoman said.

Employees may take 12 weeks of paid parental or family leave.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena: Interns receive a stipend — the amount depends on how many are on staff and whether they come from outside D.C.

Employees can take 12 weeks of paid parental or family leave.