This article was created in partnership with The Buckeye Flame, who produced the companion piece: LGBTQ+ Ohioans testify for the first time and encounter ‘bullying’ from the lawmakers elected to represent them.
By Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal
Testifying at the Ohio Statehouse in favor of or in opposition to a new piece of legislation can be a daunting proposition. But veterans of the practice say it’s a vital component to democracy in the state.
Nearly every day, state officials, leaders of advocacy groups, topic experts and Ohio residents who are impacted by proposed changes share their experiences and opinions in legislative committees.
Those who are well practiced in testifying before committees say there are rules that have to be followed, but the message and the passion a person has for a subject doesn’t have to get lost among the parliamentary procedure, or the potential intimidation factor as an Ohioan stands in front of a panel of elected officials.
“It’s incredibly important to remind them that they have constituents, and that there are people they need to listen to that have all sorts of opinions on what’s going on in the Statehouse,” said Catherine Turcer, head of voting rights advocacy group Common Cause Ohio.
You don’t need to know everything about the Statehouse to know important decisions are made there, and even people who are nervous about testifying in person can take a first step by making a phone call to their district’s senator and/or representative, Turcer said. Any way Ohioans go about it brings needed engagement in the legislative process.
“It gives you an opportunity to articulate what you’re worried about and to make your case about why you care about it,” Turcer said.
Six steps for testifying in person
For those who want to testify either in writing or in person, the Ohio Bar Association lays out the process in six steps. Before thinking of your testimony, find the bill number for the legislation of interest on the Ohio Legislature’s website. The first step to entering your comments into the record is identifying the committee in which the legislation is being considered – whether it’s in the Ohio House or the Ohio Senate – and when the committee will meet to hear testimony on the bill.
Committees in both chambers have websites where they post committee times. It is also possible to sign up for individual committee mailing lists to receive meeting notices. Committees hold specific hearings for testimony supporting a bill and testimony opposing a bill, then they can hold further hearings for “interested parties,” or all other testimony.
Testimony on a bill can be submitted as written-only – meaning the testimony won’t be given in-person or subject to committee member questions – or submitted as an in-person statement, which the person reads to the committee on the day a specific bill is being considered.
Anyone who hopes to speak in front of the committee is required to fill out a “witness slip.” The House uses a slip that requests basic information. In the Senate, each committee has a different witness slip, according to the Ohio Bar Association. Witness slips can be requested by emailing the chair of an individual committee.
The legislature requires testimony to be submitted 24 hours in advance of a committee hearing, even if it’s being given in-person.
“However, sometimes circumstances will not accommodate this timeframe (particularly if committee notices come out late),” the Ohio Bar Association states in its how-to on testifying before a committee. “In these cases, it is okay to reach out to a chair’s office to see if they can work with you to get your testimony in.”
Turcer said a good way to understand what goes into testifying before a committee is by watching previous committee hearings on the Ohio Channel, where all committee hearings are streamed and recorded.
Confidence, personal stories and a cool head
When it comes to testifying in person, confidence in your argument, a personal story about the direct impact of an issue, and keeping a cool head are all good ways to make your mark, said Danielle Firsich, director of public policy for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, and a frequent testifier in committee rooms.
“If you are focused on the things that affect everyday Ohioans, the things that Ohioans are desperately begging the legislature to address in their everyday lives, you have already won,” Firsich said. “Because you are pulling the focus to where it is supposed to be, with a group of individuals who are supposed to be public servants.”
Turcer said some of the rules of committees – such as directing responses to questions “through the chair, to the representative/senator” – can be cumbersome, but it shouldn’t distract from the goal.
“Do your best, but do not worry,” Turcer said. “The goal here is to share your story and share what you’re about and why this issue is important.”
Things can get heated when issues mean a lot to the people talking about them, but the power a citizen has is to speak about the impact, not focus on the legislators in the room.
“You’re there to influence them, so the goal is to focus on why the action is a problem, not why the person is the problem,” according to Turcer.
With her work in the reproductive rights space, Firsich has testified many times to challenge bills that she and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio believe fly in the face of Ohio’s constitutional amendment that established the right to an abortion.
Those topics can bring about impassioned arguments, and back-and-forth with legislators in committees. Firsich said she focuses on scientific data and her decorum, while avoiding distractions that may come from being questioned by legislators.
“It’s why I don’t name-call, I don’t raise my voice, I always have a calm, considerate answer,” Firsich said. “Because I don’t want to give them that gift of throwing me off and getting me riled up.”
Speaking in front of a committee can be intimidating, Firsich acknowledged, but sharing a personal story helps.
“(Legislators) cannot argue the lived experience of a human being who is discussing something that verifiably happened to them,” she said.
Turcer added that it’s worth mentioning to legislators if those testifying traveled long distances to get there, to emphasize the importance of the measure.
The advocates recognize that even hours of testimony against a bill can end with passage of the legislation, as happened with a measure banning gender-affirming care for minors. But that doesn’t negate the importance of speaking up.
“I think that being in the historical record on these major issues, and at such a contentious time as this, is really going to matter,” Firsich said. “I think at the end of the day, people have to remember that they work for us, not the other way around, and we pay their salaries.” 🔥
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