Let your Illinois legislators know how you feel about a bill

Over the next six or seven weeks, Illinoisan’s inboxes and social media feeds will be full of requests to fill out Witness Slips in support of, or in opposition to, legislative proposals.

What are they? Should I do them?

Witness slips are part of the legislative process in Illinois, and today, they are often used as tools for organizations to engage advocates in the legislative advocacy process. They come into play as bills are debated and voted upon in substantive committees.

Back in the day, witness slips were actual half-sheet size transfer paper in triplicate that lobbyists and others in the Illinois statehouse would fill out and submit prior to committee hearings to express their position on a specific bill. 

The clerk who was staffing that hearing would read out the slips when the bill was called to be debated, listing all of the opponents and proponents. This was an easy shorthand for legislators to determine who they would be pleasing, or displeasing, with their vote.

By design, slips were an insider tool. You had to actually be there to do one, or know someone who was there who would submit one for you. 

Then the internet happened.

Now, anyone with access to the internet can go onto the dashboard of Illinois General Assembly website and fill out slips for any bill they like.

Join the Witness Slip Team to let Illinois legislators know whether you support or oppose a bill. The process is simple and makes an impact. Once you join you will receive instructions and periodic emails that will require a quick ( sometimes a few hours) turnaround action. 

For a witness slip FAQ from the ACLU Illinois here.