Legislative Testimony
One of the most important points of engagement during the policy process occurs at the committee level. When a bill is in committee, any person who wishes may submit written and/or oral testimony in support of, or in opposition to the proposed legislation.
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Note *** LWVO lobby corps members who wish to submit testimony on behalf of the League MUST submit their testimony to the LWVO office (email Nazek Hapasha) and to the chair of the LWVO Advocacy Committee (kpl7@aol.com), whereby it will be approved and sent to the committee chair person from the office. *** Committee Chairs need the testimony 24 hours ahead of time, so please submit testimony to Nazek at least 48 hours ahead of time. Please start the process early enough to allow for review and possible revisions. If that is not possible because of timing of committee hearing, please mark the email as needing immediate consideration.
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Step-by-Step Guide for Oral Testimony
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1. Follow procedure for written testimony, but let Nazek know that you will be attending the committee meeting and presenting your testimony in person.
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2. Bring a printed copy with you to read in front of the committee (you do not have to read your testimony word for word).
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3. Bring a few additional copies in case an ally, reporter, or lawmaker who is not on the committee would like a copy.
AFTER YOU ARE FINISHED SPEAKING legislators may ask you questions. They are more likely to ask questions if you provide data/statistics or present yourself as having professional experience related to the bill. This can be awesome! But be prepared to back up your testimony! It's perfectly fine to not know the answer to the question in the moment! Confirm to them that you have taken down their question and will return to them as soon as possible with an answer.
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