You have your “My GA” account – now what?
The Maryland House and Senate have a mix of in-person and virtual activities for the 2023 legislative session. We are so glad to see that submitting written testimony online is an option again this year. This means we can be involved right from where we are!
Step 1: Get your own “My GA” account
We explain how to do this in a 2022 blog post.
Step 2: Know the deadlines!
Each Committee sets up their own rules for when written testimony needs to be submitted. Generally it is a set timing window the day before or two days before a scheduled hearing. We will always include this detail in our action alerts! You can look up the rules for each committee here:
- Click on the name of the Senate committee you’re interested in here: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Committees/Index/senate
- Click on the name of the House committee you’re interested in here: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Committees/Index/house
Step 3: Write your testimony, and save it as a PDF!
Your testimony is your story and your experience which helps Senators and Delegates understand why they need to support, oppose, or change a piece of legislation. We can help! After you’ve written your document and saved it, you’ll need to save it as a PDF. We can help with that too, if you need it!
Step 4: Ready for action on testimony submission day?
Submitting testimony works if you open an internet browser in Chrome or Firefox but does not work using Internet Explorer.
Remember the My GA account you created? Let’s get back to that! Go to https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/ and over on the right side near the top you’ll see a small icon that says My GA.
Log in with the email and password you created in Step 1. If you created an account a while ago and forgot your password, click “Forgot Password” and go check your email for a way to reset it.
Once you’re in, click on “Witness Signup” which is where you can submit written testimony or sign up to speak as a witness. Please note – there will only be content there if you click on “Witness Signup” during a time of day that signups are allowed. (For instance, as we write this, it is outside of those hours and so the page is empty, even though we know hearings are coming up!)
If you sign in within the designated time period (for instance, between 8 AM and 3 PM seems common), content will be organized by committee, with a list of bills underneath each. Find your committee, then find your bill, indicate your position and how you’re taking action (written testimony) and then you’ll be prompted to upload your file! Click save, and you’re all set! You’ve done it! Thank you for your advocacy!
