SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Daniel Webster Con-
gressional Clerkship Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Each year, many of the most talented law 
school graduates in the country begin their legal ca-
reers as judicial law clerks. 
(2) The judicial clerkship program has given 
the judiciary access to a pool of exceptional young 
lawyers at a relatively low cost. 
(3) These same lawyers then go on to become 
leaders of their profession, where they serve a crit-
ical role in helping to educate the public about the 
judiciary and the judicial process. 
(4) The White House, the administrative agen-
cies of the Executive Branch, the Administrative Of-
fice of the United States Courts, the Federal Judi-
cial Center, and the United States Sentencing Com-
mission, all operate analogous programs for talented 
young professionals at the outset of their careers. 
(5) The Congress is without a similar program. 
(6) At a time when our Nation faces consider-
able 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 legisla-
tive process. 
(7) Accordingly, the Congress herein creates the 
Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Program, 
named after one of the most admired and distin-
guished lawyer-legislators ever to serve in the Con-
gress, to improve the business of the Congress and 
increase the understanding of its work by the public. 
SEC. 3. DANIEL WEBSTER CONGRESSIONAL CLERKSHIP 
PROGRAM. 
(a) SELECTION COMMITTEES.—As used in this Act, 
the term ‘‘Selection Committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Rules and Administration 
of the Senate; and 
(2) the Committee on House Administration of 
the House of Representatives. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—There is hereby 
established the Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship 
Program for the appointment of individuals who are grad-
uates of accredited law schools to serve as Congressional 
Clerks in the Senate or House of Representatives. 
(c) SELECTION OF CLERKS.—Subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations, the Selection Committees shall 
select Congressional Clerks in the following manner:
(1) The Committee on Rules and Administra-
tion of the Senate shall select not less than 6 Con-
gressional Clerks each year to serve as employees of 
the Senate for a 1-year period. 
(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. 
(d) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In carrying out sub-
section (c), the Selection Committees shall select Congres-
sional Clerks consistent with the following criteria: 
(1) Each Congressional Clerk selected shall be 
a graduate of an accredited law school as of the 
starting date of his or her clerkship. 
(2) Each Congressional Clerk selected shall pos-
sess— 
(A) an excellent academic record; 
(B) a strong record of achievement in ex-
tracurricular activities; 
(C) a demonstrated commitment to public 
service; and 
(D) outstanding analytic, writing, and oral 
communication skills.
(e) PROCESS.—After a Congressional Clerk is se-
lected under this section, such Congressional Clerk shall 
then interview for a position in an office as follows: 
(1) For a Congressional Clerk selected under 
subsection (c)(1), the Congressional Clerk shall 
interview for a position with any office of any Com-
mittee of the Senate, including any Joint Committee 
or Select and Special Committee, or any office of 
any individual member of the Senate. 
(2) For a Congressional Clerk selected under 
subsection (c)(2), the Congressional Clerk shall 
interview for a position with any office of any Com-
mittee of the House of Representatives, including 
any Joint Committee or Select and Special Com-
mittee, or any office of any individual Member of the 
House of Representatives. 
(f) PLACEMENT
REQUIREMENTS.—The Selection 
Committees shall ensure that Congressional Clerks se-
lected under this section are apportioned equally between 
majority party and minority party offices. 
(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 judi-
cial clerkship for the United States District Court for the
District of Columbia within 3 months of graduating from 
law school. 
(h) REQUIRED ADHERENCE TO RULES.—Each Con-
gressional Clerk selected under this section shall be sub-
ject to all laws, regulations, and rules in the same manner 
and to the same extent as any other employee of the Sen-
ate or House of Representatives. 
(i) EXCLUSION FROM LIMIT ON NUMBER OF POSI-
TIONS.—A Congressional Clerk shall be excluded in deter-
mining the number of employees of the office that employs 
the Clerk for purposes of— 
(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); or 
(2) in the case of any other office, any applica-
ble provision of law or any rule or regulation which 
imposes a limit on the number of employees of the 
office. 
(j) RULES.—The Selection Committees shall develop 
and promulgate rules regarding the administration of the 
Congressional Clerkship program established under this 
section.
(k) MEMBER DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘Member of the House of Representatives’’ includes a Del-
egate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal 
year 2010 and each succeeding fiscal year from the appli-
cable 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. 
Passed the House of Representatives March 31, 
2009. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 151 
AN ACT 
To establish the Daniel Webster Congressional 
Clerkship Program.