CHARLESTOn, W.Va. -- The West Virginia GOP is launching an internship program to help Republican lawmakers during the legislative session, saying Democrats have an unfair advantage because they have more staffers.

A group of "Cecil Underwood fellows" will start work shortly before the legislative session begins in January, said Troy Berman, director of the state Republican Party. The party is now interviewing candidates for the program, where college students will help lawmakers with office work, research, media relations and constituent outreach. 

"Those kind of things add up, and hours and days and weeks are effectively stolen from our Republican leaders," said Berman, who contends that Democrats have a "grossly disproportionate" number of staff members compared to Republicans.

In a press release issued this week, Berman said state Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, D-Logan, and House Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne, have  "egregiously and willfully manipulated" the "levers of power" so they can undermine Republican proposals.

Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans in the House of Delegates and the state Senate. In the House, 71 of 100 delegates are Democrats. And 28 of 34 state senators are Democrats. 

Democrats chair all the legislative committees, so staff members are more likely to respond to Democrats' requests, Berman said. 

"Recognizing that the majority has additional work to do, it still needs to be a little bit more fair," Berman said.

But House and Senate leaders said staff members are non-partisan.

"Some might work for individual members, some might work for groups of members, committees, or the clerk's office," House spokeswoman Stacey Ruckle said. "But they are non-partisan, and our intern program is non-partisan as well."

Year-round, 53 employees work for the House, Ruckle said. During this year's legislative session, the House employed 122. Those figures include maintenance workers, analysts, secretaries, attorneys, doorkeepers and others.

House Minority Leader Tim Armstead's office employs two workers year-round, she said. During the session, the Kanawha County Republican's office also has another seven per-diem employees and an intern.

Armstead said Republicans have "a great deal of respect" for legislative staff members, adding that they have been helpful to him.

CHARLESTOn, W.Va. -- The West Virginia GOP is launching an internship program to help Republican lawmakers during the legislative session, saying Democrats have an unfair advantage because they have more staffers.

A group of "Cecil Underwood fellows" will start work shortly before the legislative session begins in January, said Troy Berman, director of the state Republican Party. The party is now interviewing candidates for the program, where college students will help lawmakers with office work, research, media relations and constituent outreach. 

"Those kind of things add up, and hours and days and weeks are effectively stolen from our Republican leaders," said Berman, who contends that Democrats have a "grossly disproportionate" number of staff members compared to Republicans.

In a press release issued this week, Berman said state Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, D-Logan, and House Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne, have  "egregiously and willfully manipulated" the "levers of power" so they can undermine Republican proposals.

Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans in the House of Delegates and the state Senate. In the House, 71 of 100 delegates are Democrats. And 28 of 34 state senators are Democrats. 

Democrats chair all the legislative committees, so staff members are more likely to respond to Democrats' requests, Berman said. 

"Recognizing that the majority has additional work to do, it still needs to be a little bit more fair," Berman said.

But House and Senate leaders said staff members are non-partisan.

"Some might work for individual members, some might work for groups of members, committees, or the clerk's office," House spokeswoman Stacey Ruckle said. "But they are non-partisan, and our intern program is non-partisan as well."

Year-round, 53 employees work for the House, Ruckle said. During this year's legislative session, the House employed 122. Those figures include maintenance workers, analysts, secretaries, attorneys, doorkeepers and others.

House Minority Leader Tim Armstead's office employs two workers year-round, she said. During the session, the Kanawha County Republican's office also has another seven per-diem employees and an intern.

Armstead said Republicans have "a great deal of respect" for legislative staff members, adding that they have been helpful to him.

Still, Armstead said,  "there may be times where we're pursuing a particular issue that the [Democratic] leadership and their staff aren't pursuing. Or, there may be times where we want to go in a different direction than the leadership and their staff.

 "And in those instances, it is helpful for us to have staff members to assist in research or drafting amendments."

The state Senate has 40 employees year-round, Assistant Senate Clerk Rick Winnell said. During this year's legislative session, 140 people worked for the Senate.

"They're going to do what they are asked to do by the minority members," Winnell said.

Unlike delegates, every senator has a secretary during the legislative session and during monthly interim meetings.

During the session, the office of Senate Minority Leader Don Caruth, R-Mercer, employs two analysts, an intern, and a lawyer, in addition to a secretary, Winnell said.

The Legislature sponsors several internship programs in which students work for both Republicans and Democrats, coordinators of those programs said.

The Underwood interns won't be allowed onto the House and Senate floors, Berman said. They also won't be able to use state resources, such as computers. Instead, they will work out of the party's office on Greenbrier Street.

The party hasn't decided exactly how many interns will participate in the program, he said.

Berman added that Republicans don't want the Legislature to hire more workers, but believes the staff should be more fairly allocated.

"I think it'd be irresponsible for us to suggest that additional burdens be placed on taxpayers, especially in this time of economic crisis," he said.

 Reach Alison Knezevich at alis...@wvgazette.com 304-348-1240.