Participation in Legislative Hearings
Committees of Reference of the Senate and House of Representatives meet in several spaces within the Capitol Complex:
- The Senate Committee Room Hallway is located on the 3rd floor between the elevators.
- The House Committee Room Hallway is located on the basement level between the elevators.
- The Legislative Services Building (LSB) is located at 200 E. 14th Avenue, directly south of the Capitol. House Committees meet in LSB-A, which is located on the east side of the first floor of LSB; Senate Committees meet in LSB-B, which is located on the west side of the first floor of LSB.
- Room 271 in the Capitol Building is located between the elevators on the 2nd floor.
- The Old Supreme Court Chamber is at the north end of the 2nd floor of the Capitol Building.
Once a bill has been introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives, the President or Speaker, as applicable, assigns the bill to a committee for study and consideration. The Senate and House of Representatives calendars, published daily, contain a schedule of committee hearings and the bills to be considered by each committee. Scheduling, location, and the order of bills to be heard are subject to change. The Sergeant-At-Arms and the television monitors in the Committee Room Hallways will have updated information. Committee meetings are open to the public.
The chair of each committee determines when a bill is scheduled for a hearing and the order in which testimony, if any, will be taken. The chair of the committee announces each bill, after which the bill's sponsor addresses the committee. The chair may then ask for testimony from proponents and opponents.
Members of the public are welcome to participate in committee meetings. Please note the following:
- Members of the public who wish to testify must sign in.
- When recognized by the chair, the person must give their name, address, and reason for testifying.
- Written testimony may be submitted.
- There may be occasions when not everyone has a chance to testify.
- After testifying on a particular measure, all in attendance are invited to stay and listen until the end of the committee meeting.
- Committees do not always complete all action on a measure following testimony.
- Public displays or disruption are not allowed (no placards, applause, verbal interruptions, etc.).
- The chair of a committee is authorized to clear the public from any meeting to prevent disruption to the legislative proceedings.
- Cell phones and other electronic devices must be silenced.
Members of the public can listen to committee meetings via audio broadcasts of the meetings online [by clicking this link]. In addition, live and archived video of the House of Representatives and Senate Chamber proceedings is available online at coloradochannel.net.
Remote testimony may be available for some committee meetings. For more information on remote testimony, please select Committees from the main site menu and choose Remote Testimony.