The Basics of Testimony

All laws passed by state legislatures should consider feedback from residents and community stakeholders. In Massachusetts, one way to have your voice heard is by submitting written testimony regarding specific bills.

This website, the MAPLE platform, can help you submit your written testimony to the MA Legislature. However, please note that this is not an official government website and is not the only way to submit your testimony. Here are the essential things to know before submitting testimony:

Anyone can submit testimony to the MA legislature

Legislators tend to value testimony most when it comes from their own constituents. Testimony from MA residents is typically directed to both the committee that is substantively responsible for the bill as well as the legislators (House member and Senator) representing your district.

Your testimony will be most impactful when it feels distinctive and relevant

Be sure to write your own text and explain why you are interested in an issue.

Committees generally accept testimony up until the hearing date designated for a bill

You can use the bill pages on this website to identify relevant committee dates. Although some committees will accept testimony after this date, for the greatest impact you should submit your testimony before the hearing.

Testimony is generally accepted by committees of the legislature by sending an email to their Chairs

This website, MAPLE, will help you to do this by making it easy to find a bill you want to testify in and then generate an email, which you fully control, which you can then send to the relevant personnel.

The key role of testimony is to let your legislators know how you feel about an issue

If you don't share your perspective, it may not be taken into account when policymakers make decisions about the laws that govern all our lives.