During this legislative session, it’s easier than ever for local advocates to offer public testimony on bills being considered in Concord. The virtual testimony process now in effect means that you can indicate support or opposition for specific bills, all from the comfort of your own home. Here’s a quick overview of how to make your voice heard.

First, you need to confirm which committee will hold be holding a hearing on the bill and when. To do that, head over to NH General Court web site. From there, you can enter the number for the bill you want to find more information about. Check out our post on current housing-related legislation if you’re unsure of the bill number.

Once you’re on the bill’s main landing page, you should be able to see the date of the next hearing, if one has been scheduled.

Once you’ve verified the date and time of the hearing, head back to the NH General Court landing page, where you’ll find links to the remote meeting sign in forms. There’s one for house meetings and one for the senate.

From there, you can use the calendar and the drop down fields to select the bill that you’re interested in, who you’re representing, your stance on the bill, and whether you’d like to provide verbal testimony. If you don’t have time or interest in providing verbal testimony, you can simply indicate your stance on the bill using the form.

Next, you’ll be asked to provide your name and contact information, and, finally, to confirm that the information is correct.

If you’re planning on providing verbal testimony, NH General Court provides guidance on how to do so via Zoom, whether you’re testifying before the house or the senate.