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Advocate's Toolkit
Testifying at Public Hearings
Anyone with an interest in the subject of a hearing at a City Council or state legislative hearing may testify; testimony at Congressional hearings is by invitation. There are basically three types of hearings:
1. On budgets
2. On proposed legislation
3. On how well government provides the services
Legislators often schedule topics for these hearings after they hear from people like you about a particular problem.
If you have a personal story that can shed some light on the
issue being discussed or if you can provide a unique perspective
on that issue, your testimony can be useful to legislators by
informing them of how government policy does or does not work
at the community level. To testify, simply call the committee
that is holding the hearing and find out how long you will be
given to testify and whether you will be given an approximate
time slot or whether those testifying will present on a first-come
first serve basis.
TIPS:
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Arrive early |
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Bring extra copies of your testimony to
distribute to the press and members of committee |
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While your written testimony may be as
long as you like, your presentation should stay within
the prescribed limits (usually 3-5 minutes) |
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State your most important arguments first,
in case you run out of time |
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Be prepared to answer questions from legislators |
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