Writing Testimony and Testifying at a Public Hearing

COMING TO A PUBLIC HEARING
DRESS
Professionally dressed if possible. Neat always.
FOOD
It will be a long day. Bring snacks, but be discreet and quiet in the hearing room. Don’t be digging in a crinkly chips bag.
Bring a beverage or 2.
ELECTRONICS
Bring chargers for your phones. Outlets are limited. In hearing rooms, they’re located close to the doors and back walls. If you have an external battery, charge that and bring it too.
PARKING
See TEACH CT website. There is a free parking garage behind the LOB, there is metered parking on the streets near the capitol.
SECURITY
Everyone enters on the Hungerford Street side. You’ll go through a metal detector like in the airport. Build in time for this.
TESTIMONY SIGN UP
Testimony sign up now takes place online with a deadline usually the day before the hearing. One can reach the link to sign up to testify at the hearing by going to the Home Page of the CT General Assembly (cga.ct.gov), looking for the schedule of the week, finding the hearing on the schedule, and clicking on the listed hearing. Click on “View Agenda” to see links to sign up to testify and to submit written testimony. The deadline information will be in the Bulletin on the cga website.
TESTIMONY TIPS
1. Write out your testimony so you can be prepared.
2. State your position clearly and early: “I’m Sally Smith and I oppose HB 5044”
3. Outline: CRESR EXAMPLE
CONCISE STATEMENT: HB 5044 is unnecessary because there is no public health threat.
REASON: Further regulation is unnecessary and counter-productive.
EXAMPLES: Existing laws permit quarantine of sick individuals.
STATISTICS: The DPH data is inaccurate. Superintendents have stated this.
REQUEST: Please vote No on HB 5468.
4. SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE.
Clerks and legislators are listening for code language. The have a limited time to process all of this. Don’t get into philosophical statements UNLESS you can directly tie it to the bill.
Your testimony should use the language of the bill. “HB 5468, which is geared to keeping children safe, is overly broad and ineffective to keeping children safe.”
Listen to your opponents. What phrases are they using? Look to the wording of the statute and the stated purpose.
EG “We want to close the loopholes.”
“This bill will not close the loopholes because…”
Or
“There are no loopholes because existing law addresses this. There is no perfect fix.”