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How to testify at a hearing

Public hearings are where individual voices carry the most weight in the Legislature — committees hear from anyone who shows up, in the order they signed in. Here's how it works, start to finish. For the Legislature's own description of the process, see the official overview.

  1. Find a hearing

    Committees announce public hearings a few days ahead. Watch the calendar here, or follow a bill to see its hearings — every hearing links to the official notice with the room, time, and agenda.

    Civic calendar

  2. Read the official notice

    The notice lists every bill on the agenda in order. Committees usually take bills in agenda order, but chairs can rearrange — arriving early is the only guarantee you'll be there when your bill comes up.

  3. Fill out a hearing slip when you arrive

    Outside the hearing room you'll find appearance slips. Fill one out with your name, who you represent (yourself counts), the bill number, and whether you are for, against, or providing information only. You can register your position without speaking — registrations are read into the record.

  4. Testifying

    The chair calls speakers from the slips. Keep remarks short (chairs often set limits when rooms are full), speak to how the bill affects you, and expect questions from members — it's a conversation, not a speech. Bringing printed copies of longer testimony for the members is welcome.

  5. Can't attend? Write instead

    Committee pages list every member; you can email your testimony to the committee chair and members before the hearing and ask that it be included in the record. And your own legislators want to hear from constituents regardless of committee membership.

    Committees and their membersFind your legislators

  6. Afterward

    A public hearing doesn't mean a vote. The committee may later hold an executive session to vote the bill forward — follow the bill here to see every action, or check whether it ever got a hearing at all.

    Bills that died without a hearing

Practical details (rooms, slips, chair discretion) reflect standing practice in the Wisconsin State Capitol; the hearing notice for your hearing is always the authority on time and place.