Testifying Before the Joint Finance Committee
Committee hearing dates/locations
General suggestions about testifying before legislators
If you are planning to attend a Joint Finance Committee (JFC) hearing (six locations around the state starting 3/23/09 - full list below) to show your support for Wisconsin's film industry and the film industry tax incentives, here is information about how to participate:
Arts Wisconsin, the state's arts service, advocacy and development organization, is acting as a central notification location for people who will attend the hearing. To receive information about the issues, and about testifying:
o Send your name and contact info, and the date/location you plan to attend, to Arts Wisconsin at akatz@artswisconsin.org.
o Arts Wisconsin will make sure you get information, such as hearing registration slips, before the hearing about the issues, talking points, and your actions at the hearing. Arts Wisconsin will also follow up after meeting to make sure advocacy continues after the hearing.
o Be prepared to spend a few hours at the hearing - many, many people will want to testify and participate and everyone has to wait their turn to speak. You don't have to plan to testify, but you are there to show support and strength in numbers, and to register in favor of the film incentives reinstatement.
Please make sure to have a written copy of your testimony to hand to the committee clerk. If you are not able to stay for any length of time, it's especially important to register in support of the film incentives and provide a written copy of the testimony.
There will be a contact person at each hearing, to:
o Have the list of advocates who signed up to attend the hearing.
o Act as "check-in" person for advocates.
o Hand out issue papers and talking points if necessary.'
o Give talking points/copies of petition/FaceBook names to each committee member at the hearing (Arts Wisconsin will provide that info before each hearing)
Keep checking this website (www.artswisconsin.org) for more information! Please contact Arts Wisconsin (608 255 8316 | akatz@artswisconsin.org) with questions.
Joint Finance Committee hearings
2009
o Sparta, Monday, March 23, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
American Legion Banquet Hall, 1116 Angelo Road
Sparta, WI 54656
o Milwaukee Metro, Wednesday, March 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
State Fair Park, Banquet Room #2
640 S 84th Street
West Allis, WI 53214
o Eau Claire, Friday, March 27, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
UW- Eau Claire, Haas Fine Arts Center
Gantner Concert Hall, 121 Water Street
Eau Claire, WI 54703
o Ashland (listening session), Saturday, March 28, beginning
at 9 am
Auditorium, Ashland High School
1900 Beaser Avenue
Ashland, WI 54806
o Racine, Monday, March 30, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
J.I. Case High School Theater, 7345 Washington Avenue
Racine, WI 53406
o Appleton, Wednesday, April 1, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Lawrence University, Stansbury Theater (Music Drama Center)
420 E College Ave
Appleton, WI 54911
o Cambridge, Friday, April 3, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Amundson Community Center
200 Spring Street
Cambridge, WI 53523
Committee members contact info
General suggestions on organizing for public hearings:
- Develop a clear message that is plainly understood and conveys your clear values and concerns-what is important to you. Write a short, 2 minute or less, statement describing yourself, your situation and what programs you are interested in seeing increased funding for. Make a clear statement about what you want the legislators to fund.
- Tell your story. It should be short but tells the listener why an issue is very important to you. How will it affect your life or the life of someone you love.
- Make your needs clear, but do not antagonize legislators. They have the power to increase or decrease budgets and create legislation, therefore we need to make sure that we have them on our side and not create animosity against the arts, artists and arts organizations.
- One strategy for a public hearing is to coordinate the presentations, which works like this: Everyone who wishes to speak should register. If a number of people are speaking on the same issue, it is best to go up as a group with two or three people designated as the spokespeople. Committee members will be able to see how many people are concerned about the arts without hearing the same testimony from many different people. Another strategy is for the first speaker to ask everyone in the audience to stand if they came to talk about this issue. Legislators would prefer this and most likely would give the group more time. What they would not like is to have ten people at different times going up and saying the same thing. Not everyone needs to talk. But make sure the Legislators know that more than the speakers are there on your issue.
REMEMBER: We have the right to participate in our government.
If too many people are afraid to participate, it allows just a few people
to make the decisions. Showing up for an event is extremely important,
whether or not you speak. Participating by being there is the most important
and powerful step.