How to Testify for Public Government Meetings Constance

How to Testify for Public Government Meetings Constance J. Brooks, Ph. D. Vice Chancellor, NSHE

Where? � Board of Regents ◦ NSHE Campuses and System Offices North and South � State Legislature ◦ Las Vegas: Grant Sawyer Building ◦ Carson City: State Legislative Building � School Board � County Commission � City Council � Campus Improvement Authority ◦ UNLV Campus � Public Utilities Commission � Gaming Control Board

In What Form? � Public Comment ◦ Before and after the meeting ◦ Only 2 -3 minutes � Testimony During Committee Meeting ◦ Specific bill / legislative measure ◦ Specific agenda item

Why? � Your voice is important as a concerned citizen / student, taxpayer, consumer � You, the people, elect officials to these committees, they would rather hear from you than lobbyists � You have the power to influence critical policy decisions � You bring life to the impact of their pending decisions

Prepare � Study the issue and its impact � Research the elected officials � Call the offices of the public entity ahead of time with questions � If possible, view a meeting online before actually attending one

What to Say? � Address chairperson and committee members � Full name and spell last name � Organization you represent or ◦ district, city, county, ward or NSHE institution if testifying as a concerned citizen or student � State subject � Support or oppose the measure / topic � Why? ◦ very succinctly, try not to ramble � End with: ◦ "I urge this (board / council / commission / committee) to (support / oppose) this measure. "

What to Say? (Cont’d) � Ok to use notes -Avoid reading the entire testimony if possible -Always end with “thank you”.

Written Testimony � Avoid reading it in its entirety if possible � Submit written testimony to the staff so it is permanently added to the record � You may turn in supplemental materials (i. e data, reports, etc. ) to be submitted to the committee and for the record