FRANKFORT – Breanna Miller, of Hazard, has gained a front-row seat to legislative action at the Kentucky State Capitol for the next year through her participation in a graduate fellowship.

Miller, a student in the University of Louisville’s Brandeis School of Law, began work this month in the Legislative Research Commission (LRC) Graduate Fellows Program. The program gives select students a chance to work with state lawmakers and staff members of the LRC, the staff arm of the Kentucky General Assembly.

“In 2016, I had the privilege of participating in the LRC Internship Program and I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to return as a graduate fellow,” Miller said. “It is exciting to be able to apply the knowledge and skills that I acquired in the intern program and my first two years of law school to my work here. I am eager to continue to build on those skills in our upcoming bill drafting class and through my work with the Judiciary Committee Staff.”

Typical duties for graduate fellows include drafting bills, conducting policy research, and providing support for legislative committee meetings. A senior LRC staff person is assigned to supervise and mentor each fellow.

LRC recruits graduate students each year from schools across Kentucky through a competitive application and interview process.

“The Graduate Fellows Program is a win-win,” said Teresa Arnold, Deputy Director for Research and Communications, who coordinates the program. “We benefit from their perspectives and they benefit from the most unique fellowship experience in the state – no other fellowship provides access to our proprietary bill drafting system or so direct an involvement in the process of public policy.”

The LRC Graduate Fellows Program selects masters’-level students enrolled in law schools or other relevant graduate programs such as public administration, public policy, or social work in Kentucky universities.

This year’s fellowships will continue through April 2019. Fellows will continue taking their graduate classes while also handling their fellowship duties.