According to a survey conducted by Washington State University, lawmakers, legislative staff and lobbyists all want to see an increase in citizen participation in government via remote testimony options. The Washington Policy Center,
“For discussion purposes, a remote signup sheet could be used with citizens placed in a queue managed by committee staff. Signup for remote testimony could be required the day before the hearing (assuming proper notice of the meeting was given) so a Chair would know the universe and location of potential remote testimony before the hearing starts.
“Testimony could then be taken first for those in Olympia with time reserved for those participating remotely. Chair could determine how much remote testimony to take per bill. As is the case with those attending in person, being in the remote testimony queue would not be a guarantee of being able to testify – time dependent.
“Based on the 72% support expressed in these surveys for remote testimony, we may be a step closer to seeing this become a reality during the 2015 Legislative Session.”
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