THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
HOW A BILL BECOMES LAW
How to Participate During the Legislative Session
FACT SHEET: How to Participate in the Legislative Process
Contains:
- General Telephone Messages & Correspondence to Legislators
- Contacting Legislators by E-mail
- Online Hot-line, Telephone Hot-line (1-866-996-8683), Bill Status Hot-line (1-800-342-9570)
- Streaming Audio of Legislative Proceedings
- Hearing and Visually Impaired Services
Attend a Committee Meeting!
Attending committee meetings to voice your opinion on issues before the Legislature is a great way to participate in the process. Below are a few guidelines to follow when attending committee meetings. If you have any questions about these guidelines, please contact the committee staff or click the following link to read the brochure, A Citizen’s Guide to Attending Committee Meetings
Question: When and where do the committees meet?
Standing committees meet in the mornings before the House and Senate convene, in the late afternoons or evenings following adjournment and sometimes during the noon recess. A few committees meet each legislative day while others meet every other day.
Committee meeting rooms are scattered throughout the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Capitol building. To locate a particular committee room, contact the information desk in the Capitol rotunda or consult the map in the Qwest/Wyoming Trucking Association Directory available at the information desk.
Question: How do I find out when a committee will meet to discuss a particular bill?
Computer Access.
Shortly after adjournment at the end of each legislative day, information is contained in the House and Senate Calendars (including meeting notices), and the Daily Committee Meeting Schedule via the legislative Web site (http://legisweb.state.wy.us).
Inside the Capitol:
(1) Meeting notices. Standing committees generally provide advance notice of meetings at which bills will be discussed. Notices are normally posted by 3:00 p.m. on the day before the meeting is to be held. Meeting notices are posted outside the House and Senate chambers (and on the door of the meeting room for each committee) and are published in the House and Senate Calendar.
(2) Calendars. Following the close of business each legislative day, both the House and Senate prepare a Calendar listing committee meeting notices. Copies of the Calendar are available each morning, free of charge, at the information desk in the Capitol rotunda.
If you Would Like to Attend a Committee Meeting
When you arrive at the committee meeting room, please sign the official meeting Attendance Sheet indicating your attendance at the committee meeting. You can keep track of the committee’s schedule by reading the notices on the committee room door, by following the daily calendar available outside the Senate Lobby, the House Lobby, or Capitol Rotunda, or by checking the Daily Committee Meeting Schedule on the Wyoming Legislature’s Web site
Question: Will I be allowed to present testimony at committee meetings?
For each bill under consideration, committees will generally schedule at least one meeting at which public testimony is solicited. If you are unable to attend the meeting in person on the day the bill is being discussed, you may provide written testimony which may be left with the committee secretary.
A brochure is available in the LSO which provides general information to members of the public explaining how to make a presentation to a legislative committee.
If you Would Like to Address the Committee
Individuals who wish to address the committee will be recognized and called on by the Chairman to speak. After the Chairman has recognized you, please stand and address the Chairman (i.e. “Mr. Chairman”). Then, clearly state your name and the name of the organization you represent prior to addressing the committee. All comments, questions, and responses must flow through the Chairman by addressing the Chairman each time you wish to speak. This procedure ensures an orderly flow of discussion during the committee meeting.
If you Want to Give a Handout to the Committee
If you would like to provide written information to the committee and you would like your handout to be part of the official committee record, please fill out the Committee Handout Form when you arrive at the meeting room and give the form and a copy of your handout (including an electronic copy, if available) to the committee staff. Please bring enough copies of your information for the committee, the committee staff, and interested members of the audience. Please include the committee name, meeting date, document author, document provider, and agenda item in the body of the e-mail or include an electronic copy of this form along with your submission. Electronic copies of the form can be downloaded in either Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word from the links on the left-hand side of this page.
Committee Handout Form (Microsoft Word)
Committee Handout Form (Adobe Acrobat)
Other Helpful Links
General Legislative Information
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