What is a witness slip?
A witness slip is a person’s or group’s position on a particular bill. A witness slip can be filed on behalf of yourself or on behalf of an organization you are representing (make sure you have their permission before filling on behalf of an organization).
Do I need an account to file a witness slip?
While you do not need an account to file a witness slip, creating an account allows you to manage and edit your witness slips if necessary. Registering on the ILGA Dashboard allows you to:
- Save all of your user information such as name, address, phone number, email, business and representation, eliminating the need to re-enter on each witness slip.
- Create a witness slip in just a few clicks.
- View all of your witness slips filed for each chamber for the current GA.
- Filter and sort by committee name, date/time and legislation number.
- Update user information, testimony and positions on filed witness slips.
When should I file my witness slip?
You are able to file a witness slip as soon as the committee hearing is posted. Generally, you should file your witness slip a day before the committee but at least one hour before the committee hearing to ensure that it is accounted for by the committee.
Can I make changes to a witness slip I already submitted?
If you are a registered user and were logged on when you submitted the witness slip, then yes you can make changes. If you were not a registered user or not logged on when submitting your slip, then you will not be able to change any information on your submitted witness slip. You can submit a new witness slip with your corrected position.
What if I don’t file my witness slip an hour before the committee hearing or need to update my witness slip?
The Illinois Senate allows you to submit or edit a witness slip up to the end of the day of the committee hearing's scheduled date. The Illinois House allows you to submit or edit a witness slip up to the conclusion of the committee hearing.
My bill is posted twice within the same week. Is one witness slip enough for both committee hearings since it’s the same bill?
No. You will need to submit a witness slip for each committee hearing posted.
If my committee hearing was postponed to a different time or date, does my witness slip stay with my piece of legislation?
If the piece of legislation is heard in a committee hearing that has been rescheduled for a different time that same day, your witness slip will remain associated with that piece of legislation. If the piece of legislation is heard in a committee hearing that has been rescheduled to a different day, you will have to submit a new witness slip for the new posting date.
Can I file a witness slip for an amendment to a bill?
Yes, if an amendment is filed for a piece of legislation and is being heard in committee, you can submit a witness slip to state your position on the specific amendment(s). This position is separate from your position on the original bill or other amendments and could differ.
How can I view my past witness slips?
There are two ways to view your previous witness slips:
- If you have an ILGA dashboard account, log in and click on “my ILGA” on the left hand menu and two new menu items will appear. Click on “Manage Slips” to view your previously filed witness slips.
- If you do not have an ILGA dashboard account, you can go to www.ilga.gov, search for the bill you filed a witness slip for in the left hand search box using either the bill number or keywords, and then go to the bill status page. Once you arrive at the status page for the bill, click on “Witness Slips” in the menu across the top. Once you click on “Witness Slips”, all witness slips will appear in reverse chronological order based on the committee hearing date. You can then search by the committee hearing date to find your witness slip.