Ongoing committee hearings and formal legislative sessions
Once committees are organized, they will begin to hold hearings on each bill in committee. Under the rules, each bill in committee must have a hearing. Hearings are advertised 48 hours beforehand and most operate under a hybrid mode. Oral testimony is usually capped at 3 minutes per person and all committees will accept written testimony.
Meanwhile, both the House and Senate hold formal sessions once a week to debate larger matters and pass bills by the entire House or Senate.
TAKE ACTION
→ Track bills, submit written testimony or sign up for oral testimony at hearings, contact members to ask their allies to support or oppose bills. Offer amendments to bills that are being debated in either chamber. Talk to the media about bills that you support or oppose. Check out our legislative toolkit for tips.
→ Prepare oral or written testimony for each bill that is being tracked. Check out our tips on testifying.
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What is a committee?
A group of legislators organized under one of the following: • 27 joint standing subject matter committees (such as housing, transportation, labor, etc), • 9 House standing committees • 7 Senate standing committees. Joint Committees are made up of members of both the House and Senate. House committees are made up of only House members. Senate committees are made up only of Senate members. Committee membership sizes and appointment procedures may be changed periodically.
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What are rules?
Rules for operations such as establishing committees, legislative deadlines, and other procedural matters of the legislature are generally voted on at the beginning of a two year session. There are Senate rules, House rules and Joint rules.
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What is a formal session?
When the House or Senate meet to vote on bills and other items that may be controversial in nature and during which recorded votes may be taken. These sessions are normally attended by all members of the House or Senate.
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What is a bill?
Document filed by a legislator to be considered for a vote to become law.
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What is an amendment?
A proposed change, such as adding or removing certain provisions, or decreasing or increasing funding for programs, to a legislative bill that is recommended by a committee or legislator. Amendments are usually published on the MA Legislature website prior to a bill being voted on.
