Building Your Testimony
I wanted to post quickly this evening to show you the one page testimony that I present to each legislator’s office I enter this session when I visit the Texas Capitol in support of a bill. Anyone can do this! Briefly tell your story as to why you support or are against a bill in a compelling and thoughtful manner. Add photos if it strengthens your story. Be sure to include your name and contact information, and you can also include your district number and the bill numbers that you support.
Here’s what mine looks like:
Start by going to your representative and senator’s office. Let them know that you are a constituent and that you are interested in speaking with whomever is in charge of the policy pertaining to your bill. (I always start by asking who handles their medical marijuana legislation) It isn’t likely that you’ll get to speak with your representative or senator in a walk-in meeting like this, but sometimes they will surprise you and want to hear your story. If the person you need to speak with isn’t available ask for their card and follow up with them to schedule an appointment, but be sure to leave your testimony and ask them to review it. From there, if your bill has been assigned to a committee, go to the offices of those committee members. All of the representatives and senators will ultimately be important in passing a bill, but start small and strategically so as to not overwhelm yourself! And when you get those one on one meetings always make an ask! “Will we have the Representative’s support on this bill like we did with house bill ‘XYZ’ in 2017?” “Would the representative consider being a joint or co-author to this bill?” Don’t be shy! These people work for you!
Following up with an email or even a handwritten thank you card after a meeting is a great gesture. Or consider giving a little social media love via a shout on Facebook or Instagram. Be sure to make your post public and use the appropriate hashtags and @ tags so that they receive a notification that they have been tagged. Trust me, they do see these things a lot of the time and it does matter!
This is a very basic start to how you, the ordinary citizen, can start exercising your power as a citizen in our beautiful democracy to create the change you want to see. I still get a little nervous walking into some of these offices, but it gets easier every time. If you feel strongly about the way an issue could affect your life, please become a part of the process! Feel free to direct message me if I can help encourage you
