Testifying Before a Committee

If you decide you want to be further involved in the future of a particular bill, KEEP TRACK OF THE BILL. Find out, from the Clerk of the House, the Secretary of the Senate or an interested organization, which committee the bill was referred to. You may then write a brief letter to the Committee Clerk for that committee, asking to be notified when the bill is put on the committee agenda for discussion or is scheduled for a public hearing. (Be sure to send your name, address, and telephone number.) You may also write to the Chairperson of that committee requesting that the bill be put on the agenda or scheduled for a hearing. Sometimes only a volume of letters on a particular bill will assure that it receives a committee hearing, since not all bills are "automatically" considered—many die without ever having been considered by a committee.

The following guidelines are suggested to assist citizens in making their testimony influential and effective:

• WRITE to committee members and to your own legislator, simply expressing support or opposition to the legislation.

• IF YOU DECIDE TO TESTIFY, notify the committee as soon as possible of your desire and, as a courtesy, let your legislators know that you’ve asked for time to present testimony.

• IF YOU REPRESENT a group of individuals or an organization, choose one person to present the group’s point of view and bring others along as supporters.

• PREPARE a written statement in advance but do not read it verbatim. Bring copies of your testimony for all the members of the committee.

• WHEN YOU TESTIFY, identify who you are and, if you represent a group, give the name of the group.

• KEEP YOUR TESTIMONY SHORT AND TO THE POINT. Remember your mission and don't get sidetracked. Address one issue at a time.

• AVOID EMOTIONAL SPEECHES AND PROPAGANDA, but use a real life story if at all possible.

• IF YOU ARE ASKED A HOSTILE QUESTION, keep a cool head. If you don't know an answer to a question say, "I don't know, but I will get back with you,"

Without the support of the committee involved, the bill or proposal you are interested in may never make it to the floor to be voted on. Even if you prefer not to testify, your attendance at a hearing and personal correspondence with legislators are all important in influencing the decision-making process.