Testifying 21st Century

By Jason Mercier
Testifying before the Legislature, meet the 21st Century.

Along with the exciting news we shared yesterday concerning the recent developments for live remote testimony, comes this new bill (SB 5267: Ordering development of processes to allow prerecorded video testimony and written testimony on pending legislation) requested by Secretary of State Kim Wyman and introduced by Sen. Cyrus Habib. According to the bill:

“The Washington state legislature functions in an open and public atmosphere. Committee meetings and floor sessions are open to the public. One of the most important opportunities to become involved in the debate over a bill is when it is the subject of a hearing before a legislative committee. The purpose of committee hearings is to gather information so that the committee can make an informed recommendation on a given bill or resolution. However, providing testimony during a committee hearing may sometimes be challenging for the public. Traveling to Olympia to testify in bad weather and during the work day may prove difficult for some members of the public. Additionally, it may be a hardship for the elderly or persons with disabilities to travel to Olympia to testify in person. It is the intent of the legislature to establish processes to allow the public to provide testimony on pending legislation through prerecorded videos and written statements in an effort to provide additional access to the legislative process and opportunities for the public to provide testimony on legislation. Moreover, it is the intent of the legislature that whenever possible the prerecorded videos and written statements will be made available to members of the legislature prior to legislative action on legislation.

The legislature and legislative agencies through the joint legislative systems committee shall develop processes to allow the public to provide testimony on pending legislation through prerecorded videos and written statements. The systems committee may set up parameters around the length of prerecorded videos and written statements that may be submitted to the legislature through these processes.

Submitted testimony on pending legislation through prerecorded videos and written statements must be made available to members of the legislature in a timely fashion. The systems committee may contract with a nonprofit organization that produces gavel-to-gavel television coverage of state government deliberations and other events of statewide significance in order to develop these processes.”

This is a great complementary proposal to the current efforts in the Senate to setup live remote testimony locations.

During a conversation with Sen. Habib today about the bill he emphasized that this proposal is not an attempt to compete with the live remote testimony locations Senators Padden and Brown are working on for Spokane and the Tri-Cities but instead the goal is to offer a complimentary option to help provide more Washingtonians with the opportunity to participate in the legislative debate.

Though the bill was in draft form at the time the agenda went out, Sen. Habib noted that the public notice for the hearing next Monday on it went out with the required five-day notice (thank you!).

Coupled with the existing efforts to provide live remote testimony locations and also enacting legislative transparency reforms like those proposed last year by HB 2369/SB 6560, SB 5267 is an innovative approach to help further involve citizens in the legislative process.

In fact, if adopted by the Legislature this proposal may even get me to trade in my flip phone so I can post video testimony as well.