TESTIMONY –

During 2023, testimony was either in-person or virtual.  Both options were offered for the House and the Senate. We expect the same options will be available for 2024 but stay tuned!

Normally, there are two ways to provide testimony –

  • Driving to Annapolis and giving testimony in person
  • Sending in testimony and/or testifying electronically

In-person testimony is most effective, but only if –

  • You have a story or a personal reason to support the bill
  • You have something to say that no one else has said
  • The bill is not a really contested bill, in which case, there will be a ton of people testifying in person and you may not get to say very much

Testifying in person is the most effective for smaller bills that don’t get a lot of attention.  If you are interested in a bill, contact the bill’s sponsor, even if you are not in-district and offer to testify.

If you are driving to Annapolis, you can reserve parking in advance at the garage of your choice.  You must pay for a whole day of parking to do that, but at least you won’t have to move your car every two hours.

To reserve parking, click on the following link:

https://www.annapolisparking.com/

Then, click on Parking Locations on the menu.

This will give you a menu item for Garages and Lots and then a list of individual garages. Select the garage you want to park in. The closest one to the House or Senate is Gotts Court Garage.

Scroll down the page for the garage you selected until you see the Buy Daily Parking button.

When you click the button, you can select the date, select the garage again (assuming it is not already full and you have to pick another one), and then pay for parking. You will have to pay for the entire day.

You will then get a confirmation with a code. Put the code under the reader at the garage to enter and leave.

To submit testimony electronically:

Hearings will be held in person and via Zoom for both the House and the Senate.  However, due dates for testimony differ between the House and the Senate.  See the chart below for the due dates for testimony (either written or verbal or both).

As in prior sessions, the first page of all written testimony must list the bill number and bill name, the name of the individual or organization submitting the testimony, and the position on the bill (Support, Support with Amendments, or Opposed).

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.

Whether you are signing up for oral and/or written testimony, or just loading written testimony, MAKE SURE TO HIT SAVE when you are finished.  Then check SIGNED UP ITEMS to make sure that all of your selections are recorded properly.

*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

Hearings will be streamed via YouTube

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

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 | EEE | FIN | JPR

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


TESTIMONY SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Senate testimony signup deadlines:

Monday Hearing Tuesday Hearing Wednesday Hearing Thursday Hearing Friday Hearing
Witness & Testimony Sign- up Window Friday,  

8 – 3 

Monday,  

8   3 

Tuesday, 

8 – 3

Wednesday,  

8 – 3

Thursday,  

8 – 3

Zoom Link Sent Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

House committees will send the zoom link for oral testimony the morning of 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.

House testimony signup deadlines:

Monday Hearing Tuesday Hearing Wednesday Hearing Thursday Hearing Friday Hearing
Witness & Testimony Sign- up Window Thursday,

8 – 3

Friday,  

8 – 3

Monday,    

8 – 3

Tuesday,

8 – 3

Wednesday,

8 – 3

Zoom Link Sent Friday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

 

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.