Are you thinking of testifying before a committee? Are you unsure of how to go about signing up and preparing for a hearing?

Whether it is your first time or the tenth time, it's never a bad thing to brush up on the rules. This information is intended to provide guidance on signing up to testify, help you prepare your testimony and understand the committee rules.

Signing up to testify

Individuals wishing to offer testimony before the committee (written only or in person) MUST notify the Committee Assistant 24 hours in advance of the hearing and an electronic copy of all testimony shall be submitted to the Committee Assistant no later than 10:00AM on the day of the hearing. Testimony MUST be sent to the committee secretary in electronic form and hard copies made available to staff prior to testifying (the number of copies may vary by committee).  

Education Committee Contact Information

• House Education Committee Assistant Sue Mollenkamp:  785-296-7671 or Sue.Mollenkamp@house.ks.gov

• House Education Budget Committee Assistant Dana Webber:  785-296-7616 or Dana.Webber@house.ks.gov

• Senate Education Committee Assistant Erna Fabert:  785-296-7381 or Erna.Fabert@senate.ks.gov  

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If you plan to testify, please let me know via email at gabuie@usakansas.org or at 785.232.6566.  You can copy me on the email you send to the appropriate committee assistant; we work very closely with these individuals on a day-to-day basis.

As a service to members, our office will sign you up (if you cannot), review your testimony and/or copy and deliver printed copies of testimony to the committee assistant  If you want to take advantage of this service, you must submit a PDF copy of your testimony to usaoffice@usakansas.org no later than 7:30 a.m. the day of the hearing.

We are also willing to help you prepare for the hearing by providing background information and prepping for questions. A member of our legislative team or I will be available at the hearing.

General guidelines for preparing your testimony

I recommend trying to keep your testimony to no more than one page front and back. Be clear and concise; there is no need to use 10 words when 3 will do the job. Visuals (e.g., graphs) are a good way to convey a message. If they won't drop into the text neatly, you can include them as attachments.

Click here to view a suggested format for your testimony.  You can use different formats, but make sure to include all of the information we've identified.
 

Committee rules

If you plan to appear before a committee, there are some general guidelines you should adhere to.  

 

• Do not read your testimony. Summarize your remarks.

• Often times, Q & A will be held until the end (the end of proponents, etc. or the end of all testimony).

• If you do not know the answer to a question, do not make up an answer. Tell the member or the chair that you will get the information to them and make sure you follow up in a timely manner.

• Breathe. Do not get defensive. Do not raise your voice. Do not make threats. 

• Turn the sound off on all cell phones, pagers, computers, etc.

• Video and audio recording are not allowed in the committee room.

 

Click here to download a complete list of committee rules and guidelines for conferees appearing before the House Education Committee.

Click here to download a complete list of committee rules and guidelines for conferees appearing before the Senate Education Committee.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

 

G.A. Buie

gabuie@usakansas.org

785-232-6566