The 89th Texas Legislature is in full swing and you can be part of the action by speaking at a public hearing. Here’s how you make your voice heard:
📅 Hearing Schedules Can Be Found Online.
Bills are referred to committees in the Texas House or Senate. Committees hold public hearings on the bills and must favorably vote a bill out to refer it to the full chamber for a vote there.
Where you come in: House committee meeting agendas and schedules can be found here, and Senate committee meeting agendas and schedules can be found here. To find where a particular bill is in the legislative process, search for it by word/phrase or name (like “SB10”) here.
🔍 Look for Registration Kiosks Inside the Capitol.
If you want to speak on, for, or against a specific bill — and public testimony is allowed — you’ll need to register on touch-screen kiosks located in the Texas Capitol Extension. You can also register to speak on your phone, iPad, or laptop, but you must do this while inside the Capitol and connected to its Wi-Fi network.
You’ll need to create a public profile to register to speak. You can do this from home ahead of time.
For some hearings, you might have to turn in a physical registration card once you get to the room where the hearing is being held.
📍 Find the Hearing Room.
Public hearings take place all over the Texas Capitol, on the actual chamber floors, in anterooms, and, most frequently, in the Texas Capitol Extension. Keep the room number you’re searching for handy, and remember this: If the room number starts with an “E,” look for the underground extension. If the room number starts with a number, head to that floor.
And, when in doubt, just ask. We’re all Texans down there, anyway. 🤠
👋 That’s literally it! Good luck out there!
