Simple Guide: How to testify in committee meetings of the Ohio House or Senate
Senate and House Committees determine whether legislation is going to be voted on in the larger body. Committees usually hold hearings and gather testimony from interested parties. Giving testimony in person or submitting it in written form is a right that few citizens use. It may seem overwhelming, but the process is not too cumbersome and since not many people testify it makes each submission all that more powerful.
If attending a hearing in person or submitting written testimony, you must submit a witness form at least 24 hours before the hearing. The first step is to identify the committee which will be hearing the testimony you wish to present and to find the chairman’s name. Most Senate Committees have their own specific forms. Follow this link to the Ohio League of Women Voter’s Advocacy Page (link) which contains Witness Forms for Ohio Senate, Ohio House as well as State Board of Education. If you are unsure of the form to use, call the office of the chair of the committee and have it emailed to you.
Here is a link to a fill-able PDF for the Ohio Senate Education Committee. (link).
For the Senate Standing Committee assignments (link). Click on the committee name to see the members of that committee. Clicking on each Senator’s name will give you the contact information for each member.
For all Ohio House Committees there is one Witness Information Form (link)
For Ohio House Committee assignments (link). Like the Senate, you can see who is on each committee and also get their contact information.
The Witness Form gets submitted to the office of that committee’s chair. You may have to contact the chair’s office directly.
Written Testimony only: Written testimony should be submitted as an attachment to an email (in some common, well-known format) to the office of the committee’s chair (like above). Make sure to state your name and who you represent (if anyone). For instance, in the body of the statement or in the title if you choose, you could state: My name is Mary Jones. I have grandchildren in the public schools and volunteer for the public school in my neighborhood. Make sure to include your contact information.
Your testimony should identify the bill you are addressing and your reasons for supporting or opposing its provisions. Testimony does not need to be long to be effective. In fact, it may be better to address one or two important points instead of trying to address every part of a particular bill. If possible, team up with other advocates and split up major talking points into separate testimonies.
Here (link) is an example of written testimony from Susie Kaeser to the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee in favor of keeping the Fair School Funding Plan in HB 110 in the state budget in 2021.
In Person Testimony:
Oral testimony should not be longer than 5 minutes. Although it is oral the protocol is to hand in a written version of your testimony. It is highly suggested that you make enough copies for all committee members.
When addressing the committee in person you should be specific about who you are addressing, using their titles, and thanking them for the opportunity to be heard.
There is a possibility that if you give in person testimony that you could be asked questions. Don’t make stuff up – just answer what you know. Don’t be afraid of letting the panelists know that you will send them information afterwards if you want to make sure of your facts.
The following conventions are important in testifying before a legislative committee:
- Testimony is always delivered “through the Chairman”, meaning witnesses are asked to address the Chairman first when speaking to the committee, either when delivering testimony or responding to a legislator’s question.
Example:
- Senator Brenner: Ms. Smith, are you aware that this bill originated in the House?
- Ms. Smith: Through the Chair, Senator Brenner, yes I am,……
- Respect, both in the content and tone of testimony, is of utmost importance.
- Who do you represent? If you represent an organization, it is fine to indicate that. It is not necessary to cite an affiliation; voters are free to speak for themselves. Those testifying should bear in mind that if they are invoking the name of an organization (including a school district), the legislators being addressed will associate the remarks with that organization as they consider any matter of legislation, including and beyond the bill in question.
- Hearing this testimony for the first time. Sometimes members sit on more than one committee, so sometimes an issue may have come up in another hearing. But also keep in mind that there will always be members of the committee who are hearing about the bill for the first time from in-person witnesses. This is important to consider from the context of a “first impression.”
Watch sample video from past hearings (here) if you are concerned about how the protocols work.