Bills are flying through the legislative process quickly this year. A lot of BAD bills! Please consider testifying either in support of or against the bills that you care deeply about.
Here is a sheet that will tell you a lot about how to be a part of the process – https://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Documents/2020/Accessing%20the%20Legislature%20remotely.pdf?csf=1&e=V7Lscu
But how about specifics? You must sign in. Numbers make a difference when there are hearings in Olympia. Even if you don’t actually want to testify, you can sign in as supporting or opposing. Instructions follow –
Click on this link – https://app.leg.wa.gov/csiremote/
- At the top, you will see three buttons. Click on the Senate button.
- At the top of that page, you will see a drop down box that says “Committee” and another that says “Meetings”. Choose the committee name and then choose the date that the hearing is to be held (you can find that information on the Bill History page in the legislative website).
- You will then see a list of bills being heard. Choose the bill number you wish to testify on. NOTE: You can only testify in public hearings, so if your bill is being heard in an executive session, you will not be able to testify.
- As soon as you click the bill number, there are three choices – submit written testimony, testify live, or you can just sign in as supporting or opposing. There is also a link where you can see the list of people who signed in. We’d like this list to go on forever. This is a great way to show our numbers.
- Click on which you would like to do. If you do not wish to testify, but you want your voice heard, please click on that button and choose either pro, con, or other from the drop-down box.
- Here is the part that bothers some people. You have to enter your name, address, etc. This is not for some registry out there – this is to make sure you live in WA State. Think about it. If you live anywhere in the world, you have access to this site with a click of a button. Only WA State citizens can weigh in, so they have to confirm that you live here. Also, they need to know where in WA you live, so the legislators in that district get an idea of the feelings about those bills in their districts. You had to sign in when you went in person, as well, so this isn’t anything new. I know people don’t like to give out their personal info, but at some point – we need to make a stand. The other side is highly organized and will make it look like the majority supports this bill. We have to prove them wrong. It is public records, but so is every email you send to the Senate.