Getting Involved: how to provide remote testimony for legislative sessions in Olympia

OLYMPIA, Wash.-- With social distancing restrictions in place, the State Legislature will operate differently during the 105 day session that got underway on Monday.

Lawmakers will conduct most business remotely, mostly from their offices on the Capitol Campus, but constituents and other stakeholders with an interest in proposed legislation will still have the opportunity to participate in the testimony process-- you'll just have to do it remotely.

For residents on the Eastern side of the state, the opportunity is a welcome one, though not entirely new. Columbia Basin College in Pasco established a set-up to allow residents in the area to testify in legislative committee hearings remotely.

With social distancing restrictions, the Legislature wants to make sure Washingtonians are aware of the ways in which you can participate in the legislative process:

• Universal remote testimony: The Legislature has expanded remote testimony capabilities so people can testify on any bill from anywhere up to an hour prior to a committee meeting.
  • To testify remotely in the Senate: https://clicktime.cloud.postoffice.net/clicktime.php?U=https%3A%2F%2Fapp.leg.wa.gov%2FCSIRemote%2FSenate&E=jkochenauer%40cherrycreekmedia.com&X=XID729ZakROU3766Xd2&T=6PAS&HV=U,E,X,T&H=a9b71a609d9019048dc2f649a4e4f221004fc837.
  • To testify remotely in the House: https://app.leg.wa.gov/CSIRemote/House
• Submit written testimony: People can also submit written testimony on any bill scheduled for a public hearing. People have long been able to submit written comment on a bill, but prior to this year, those comments were sent directly to the constituent’s own legislators. The new written testimony system saves comments where committee members and staff can access and read it, and where committee staff will later place it in the committee file and archive it where it will be maintained as part of the public record.
  • Written testimony can be submitted at the same links used to sign-in for public testimony above.
• Set up a Zoom with your legislator: Due to Covid-19 protocols, legislators won’t be meeting in person with constituents, but people are encouraged to schedule Zoom meetings with their senators and representatives.
  • To find your legislator’s contact information and schedule a meeting: https://app.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/
• It’s all on TVW: As always, every committee meeting, floor session, press conference and special event will be broadcast at TVW.org.