Agriculture Legislative Assistant
Agriculture legislative assistants serve as an agricultural policy expert for local, state or federal elected or appointed officials within a governmental office. They assist in advising on and managing various aspects of the official’s agricultural portfolio or other issues relating to agriculture, including but not limited to agriculture, energy, environmental sciences, food, young and beginning farmers and commodities.
What Responsibilities Will I Have?
- Provide administrative support to elected or appointed officials
- Develop familiarity with legislative, administrative and judicial systems
- Maintain a working knowledge of legislative documents, legislation, policies and initiatives
- Track movements of related bills (a legislative proposal before congress) through the legislative process
- Conduct research to make sound legislative recommendations to officials or other working counterparts
- Create support for legislation and coordinate the introduction of bills
- Brief the official on subject matter and prepare him or her for official remarks and appearances, votes, programmatic logistics and policy implementation work
- Assist elected officials with scheduling and coordinating meetings and appointments
- Type and prepare written materials
- Assist with analyzing and summarizing results
- Create and maintain files and record-keeping systems
- Research and create press releases
- Respond to constituents about their needs or concerns via phone, email or other written form in a timely, professional manner
- Attend events alongside the official representative as needed
Recommended High School Courses:
- agricultural education
- public speaking
- civics/government
- writing
- economics
- business
Education/Training Required:
Most officials require that legislative assistants have at least a bachelor’s degree in a related agricultural field, political science, law, journalism, public relations or a related field. There are some roles that may start as internships or temporary positions and evolve into full-time positions.
