Activists who wish to impact bills, either supporting or opposing, must be alert and ready to act. Here are the basics to make your voice heard in the Texas Legislature.
Bills are being discussed in committees in the Texas House and
Senate right now. The phases of a bill’s life are
- Getting a hearing in committee
- Getting voted on in committee
- Getting scheduled for a vote on the floor
- Getting a floor vote
While bills are in committee, we can help good bills by
- Contacting committee members by phone and email to support the bill and asking for a hearing and a vote.
- Contacting your own representative and ask them to support the bill by signing on as a co-author.
- Testify in-person or in writing when the bill is being discussed by the committee.
When giving support (or opposition), politely give a few points
about the bill and add personal experiences or impacts to your testimony. Oral testimony is only 2 minutes, and written
testimony is also limited so keep it concise and on point.
Texas Legislature Online is your source to find out how to
contact members, who is on committees, when and where the committees are
meeting, read the bills and track their status including automatic alerts. The link to the site is here: Texas Legislature Online
