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

2. Where? Board of Regents State Legislature School Board
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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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."

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

8. 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