Bookmark This Cheatsheet for Submitting Testimony in #MDGA22

The House will continue to hear bills virtually for the full Session, but as of February 14, the Senate is now hearing testimony IN-PERSON with no hybrid options for oral testimony.

Please prepare to be in the Senate building, following updated COVID guidelines, to deliver oral testimony.

This post serves as an easy index for everything you need to submit testimony in 2022.

The information covered in this post is subject to change at any time. We’ll update it to the best of our abilities, but PLEASE double-check on the MGA site itself – witness and testimony guidelines can be found on the individual committee pages indexed below.

SKIP THE TEXT – GET THE UPDATED CHART


myMGA ACCOUNT

Anyone submitting testimony – oral/written/both/letter of info – must have an individual myMGA account – including those signing up for in-person, oral testimony in the Senate. There does not seem to be a way to have an organizational account to submit testimony for multiple staffers within an organization, but we’ll update this post if we learn otherwise.

The MGA has put out several helpful video tutorials for the myMGA platform, but we definitely recommend these:

You’ll need to set up an account and confirm your account via a link sent to your email. If you already have an account, be sure to go in and edit it to include your contact info, especially your organization name.* Once your account is set up, you’ll be able to go into your account, click Witness Signup, and proceed through the options there to sign up for a hearing.

*including your organization name is important because some committees will pick witnesses based on their organizational affiliation and the constituent representation that organization provides.


STREAMING HEARINGS – YOUTUBE AND ZOOM

As of February 14, the Senate will NOT be using zoom, and all testimony will be heard IN-PERSON. Hearings will be still be streamed via YouTube

Witnesses giving oral testimony in the House will participate through a Zoom link. Hearings will be streamed via YouTube. 

For the House, witnesses can listen along to the hearing in YouTube and join the Zoom waiting room, but when you’re let into the hearing, CLOSE (not just minimize, CLOSE) THE YOUTUBE WINDOW IMMEDIATELY. This is very important – if you leave up the YouTube window once you’re unmuted in Zoom, there will be audio feedback and it will be annoying. An annoyed audience is not a receptive audience.

Download Zoom in advance.

Subscribe to these YouTube links now, so you can access them quickly when you need to:

Senate YouTube Links: B&T | EHE | FIN | JPR

House YouTube Links: APP | ECM | ENT |HGO |JUD | W&M


WITNESS TESTIMONY GUIDELINES

These processes may change with no notice, so please double-check each Committee’s specific requirements on the MGA page.

Senate Committee Session Protocols and Guidelines   |     House Committee Session Protocols and Guidelines

You can view those Committee specifications at the links below:

SENATE COMMITTEES and Witness Guidelines: B&T | EHE | FIN | JPR

HOUSE COMMITTEES and Witness Guidelines: APP | ECM | ENT | HGO | JUD | W&M


TESTIMONY SUBMISSION DEADLINES

As of February 14, the Senate testimony signup deadlines have changed to the following:

Oral testimony in the Senate is now IN-PERSON, and there will not be a hybrid option.
Some committees are doing Q&A at the end of each bill hearing, while others are asking questions of each witness.

House testimony signup deadlines remain the same:

House committees will send the zoom link for oral testimony the night before the hearing. This link cannot be shared. Some committees are doing Q&A at the end of each bill hearing, while others are asking questions of each witness.


ALL THE INFO

Check out MACo’s chart compiling all of the information above:

Suggestions or corrections? Contact Victoria Maas.