[NFBMT] Having your say before a Montana Legislative Committee

[BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER]

>From the web site https://leg.mt.gov/ <https://leg.mt.gov/%0d> 

 

2017 Having Your Say

It's Your Right. 

The Constitutions of the United States and of the State of Montana ensure
every citizen the right to speak on every public issue and to be heard by
officials at every level of government. The Montana Legislature extends that
right to any bill (which includes any resolution). 

 

Montana's Legislature functions in a completely open atmosphere. After full
consideration and with comments and advice from the public, every vote by
committee and by either house must be a public vote. 

 

Having Your Say Before a Montana Legislative Committee 

DON'T GET STAGE FRIGHT 

Don't allow yourself to be intimidated by the hearing process, the objective
of which is to gather all pertinent information so that the committee can
make an informed recommendation. Your statement will be heard by a committee
of legislators elected to represent citizens like you. Therefore, don't miss
your chance to talk. 

 

PAID LOBBYISTS MUST REGISTER 

If you are being paid to support or oppose legislation, you must be licensed
as a lobbyist by the Commissioner of Political Practices, which requires
payment of a $150 fee. 

 

PRESS COVERAGE 

Because all committee meetings are open, members of the media may be present.
Your statements may be quoted, or you may appear on television. Additionally,
many meetings are broadcast by TVMT, which is a state government broadcasting
service. TVMT may distribute the televised proceedings to various Montana
local access and public television stations and for viewing via the Internet.
All legislative committee meetings that take place at the Capitol are
broadcast live over the Internet, through either streaming audio or video.
On-demand archives that contain audio or video recordings are available
shortly after the meeting on the legislative website. 

 

THE CITIZEN'S ROSTRUM 

The key events in any bill's legislative life are the hearings before
committees. Citizens may communicate personally with legislators at any time
about any bill, but the committee hearing is the occasion when an individual
may publicly state approval or opposition or suggest changes to a bill. You
may testify on any bill that concerns you. All committee hearings are open
and are scheduled well in advance, usually at least 3 days ahead and often
longer. The hearing allows you to speak your mind before the committee takes
any action and before the bill is brought to the attention of each house for
debate and final vote. 

 

BILLS ARE AVAILABLE 

To ensure that you are effective and prepared when testifying, it is a good
idea to read over the bill in question before your appearance. Copies of
bills are available, at a small charge, at the Bill Distribution Room (Room
74) in the basement of the Capitol. Because amendments may change the
language of a bill at 

any of the stages of its life, be sure that you are referring to the latest
version. Bills are also available electronically at no charge for viewing or
download from the Internet at http://leg.mt.gov. (Please note that the
printed version of a bill is the official version; the electronic version may
not be in its final form when posted.) 

 

ACCESS TO THE COMMITTEE ROOM 

You may enter a legislative hearing room at any time, even if the door is
closed or a hearing is proceeding. The common standards of courtesy and
respect apply; enter quietly if a meeting is in progress. 

 

KNOW THE COMMITTEE 

You may find it helpful before coming to the meeting to know to whom you will
be speaking. Members of all committees are appointed before the opening of
the legislative session. Rosters are announced in the press, listed in
various directories, and available on the Internet at http://leg.mt.gov. 

The Speaker of the House or the Committee on Committees of the Senate
designates the committee presiding officer who conducts the hearing and
applies the rules of the Legislature. The vice presiding 

officer, who presides in the absence of the presiding officer, is also
designated. Both the presiding officer and vice presiding officer are members
of the party holding a majority of seats in the house that the committee
represents. A staff person from one of the legislative agencies is
permanently assigned to each committee to provide professional assistance.
Each committee also has a secretary assigned for the session to keep the
record and to perform clerical functions. 

 

HOW TO FIND THE COMMITTEE 

Each committee of the House and Senate is assigned to a meeting room in the
Capitol. Occasionally, a hearing that is expected to attract a large crowd
may be moved to a larger venue; such changes are 

noted on hearing schedules and notices are placed outside the regular meeting
rooms. 

The time and place of every committee hearing is posted several days in
advance on the boards reserved for that purpose in the legislative lobbies.
In addition, computer terminals are placed in the legislative 

lobbies for the convenience of the public in obtaining accurate,
up-to-the-minute information on the status of each introduced bill. You can
also call or visit the Legislative Information Office, located in the 

1st floor lobby in the Capitol, telephone (406)444-4800, or check hearing
information on the Internet at http://leg.mt.gov. The state's major
newspapers also print the schedule of committee 

hearings each day of the session. 

 

QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE 

After both proponents and opponents have spoken, the presiding officer will
allow committee members to ask questions. If you are called upon, respond
directly, but remember that only committee 

members are allowed to ask questions and that you may speak only when called
upon. When committee members have concluded their questions, the sponsor will
make a closing statement to end the hearing on that particular bill. 

 

EXECUTIVE ACTION 

The committee may hear a second or even a third bill in a single meeting. If
the hearings do not consume all of the meeting time allotted, the committee
may go into executive session to review the information that it has gathered
and to discuss its recommendations. The executive session is also open to the
public, and you are welcome to observe and listen, but the audience is not
permitted to join in the discussion. 

During the executive session, the members may express their views on the
bill, propose and adopt or reject amendments, and finally take a recorded
vote for a recommendation of "do pass" or "do not pass" or other action on
the bill. It may be necessary to continue executive action to a later meeting


to allow more time for consideration. 

 

HOW A HEARING WORKS 

Hearings are as informal and unpretentious as decorum allows. Please note
that a committee often hears multiple bills at each meeting. The order in
which bills are heard is at the chair's discretion and is announced at the
start of each hearing. Because the committee tries to hear several bills at
each meeting, the presiding officer will allot time for proponents and
opponents of each measure and will reserve a period for questions from the
committee members following testimony. 

 

Seating in committee rooms is limited, so plan to arrive a few minutes before
starting time to ensure yourself a chair and to reduce diversions after the
meeting opens. 

 

Sign the witness sheet for the committee record, and indicate the number of
the bill that you are interested in and whether you support or oppose it. 

 

Inquire to find out if other persons also plan to present testimony similar
to yours. If so, the committee will appreciate your effort to coordinate
testimony to eliminate time-consuming redundancy. 

 

At a hearing with many prospective witnesses, lack of time may prevent all
individuals from testifying. In that case, you may be asked to state only
your name and whether you are a proponent or an opponent (in such an
instance, please be aware that you may always submit written testimony to the
committee, even if you are not given the opportunity to speak due to time
constraints). At a large hearing, proponents or opponents may designate one
or several representatives who share their viewpoints. 

 

The hearing opens with the bill's sponsor explaining its purpose and the
background of the legislation. Statements will then be requested from
proponents, followed by opponents. When your turn to testify comes, address
the presiding officer and committee members and identify yourself with your
name, hometown, occupation, affiliation, or other information that will
indicate your acquaintance with the subject. Be specific, confine your
remarks to the subject at issue, and indicate clearly your reasons for
supporting or opposing the bill. In order for your testimony to be part of
the official record, you are strongly encouraged to provide a written copy of
your testimony to committee members and the committee secretary. If you have 

access to copying facilities, it will be helpful if you provide sufficient
copies for each committee member plus two for the staff. (Please note that
public copying machines are not available at the Capitol, 

so copies should be made ahead of time.) However, do not let the fact that
you have not prepared a written statement prevent you from testifying.

 

Montana Legislative Services Division 

PO Box 201706 

Helena MT 59620-1706 

(406)444-3064 

www.leg.mt.gov 

March 2017

 

Joy Breslauer, Chair, Committee on Public Policies 

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org <http://www.nfbofmt.org/> 

 

Live the life you want

 

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who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want.