TELECONFERENCE INSTRUCTIONS/INFORMATION:

                                                                     SENATE RULES COMMITTEE HEARING:

Participant number: (tbd); Access Code:  (tbd)

Due to the statewide stay-at-home order and guidance on physical distancing, seating for committee hearings will be very limited for press and for the public. All are encouraged to watch our hearing from its livestream on the Senate’s website at https://www.senate.ca.gov/.

We encourage the public to submit written testimony on Governor Appointments to Marina.Gonzales@sen.ca.gov, and for all other items to Chinook.Shin@sen.ca.gov, before the hearing. Please note that any written testimony submitted to the committee is considered public comment and may be read into the record or reprinted.

The Capitol will be open for attendance of committee hearings, but the public is strongly encouraged to participate via the web portal or telephonically.

Information regarding a call-in option for testimony will be made available and updated the night prior to the hearing date.                

Please note: In order for your testimony to be heard clearly, you must mute any devices you are using to live stream the committee hearing prior to calling into the teleconference service. Please do not testify using speakerphone or bluetooth, this can cause acoustic feedback and make it very difficult to hear your testimony. 

• Upon calling in, you will be placed in a “waiting room” where you will be muted but you can listen to the committee hearing as you wait.

• When a committee moves to public comment, a moderator will ask for anyone who is wishing to testify in “Support” of the bill to please press 1-0.  The moderator will again prompt those waiting in “Opposition” when the committee moves to opposition.  You should press 1-0 when you are prompted by the moderator – be sure to listen for support or opposition and DO NOT press 1-0 until the proper position has been asked for. 

• When you press 1-0 on your phone, you will wait and an operator will assign you a line number, at that time you will be placed in the queue for identification.  Remember your line number, the moderator will call out that number to identify YOU when it is your turn to testify.  OF IMPORTANT NOTE: If you press 1-0 a second time, you will remove yourself from the queue and you will not be identified to testify. Every time you press 1-0 you either put yourself “In queue” or take yourself “Out of queue” so listen carefully, and press 1-0 only once when you are prompted by the moderator.

• When you are successfully in the queue, with your assigned line number, the moderator will call out your line number, open your line, and at that time you may address the committee. You must have your own phone unmuted before you begin testimony.

A more detailed explanation of the teleconference instructions can be found by clicking the “Teleconference Instructions”.

                                                 WE ARE STILL WORKING AND ARE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU

To protect public health and slow the transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the State Capitol is closed to the public.  However, we are working remotely to continue to serve you. 

• We are receiving office phone calls and responding to all email communications during the business hours of 9:00 am ~ 5:00 pm ~ Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. 
• We will continue to keep our website up to date on the status of our hearings.
• Author’s Amendments to bills in our committee will be accepted and processed during the recess. 

Please reach out if you need to communicate with the committee office.

Rules Committee meets every Wednesday, 1:30 pm, Room 113.

JURISDICTION: Proposed amendments to the rules and other matters relating to the business of the Legislature.

Members:

Senator Toni G. Atkins (Chair)
Senator Scott Wilk (Vice Chair)
Senator Patricia C. Bates 
Senator Bill Monning 
Senator Richard D. Roth