Legislative glossary
Committee hearing
Also known as: committee vote · testimony
Definition
A formal session where the committee takes testimony from witnesses, experts, and the public before voting on the bill.
Why it matters
The committee hearing is the public's one guaranteed look at a bill: witnesses testify, members posture and probe, and the record gets built. But the deeper truth is that hearings are scheduled at the chair's pleasure: getting one at all is a victory, and the witness lineup is strategy, not ceremony. A devastating hearing can sink a bill; a moving one can move a chamber.
In the game
The Bill to Law Game's Committee stage has you build a witness lineup and survive testimony. Choose between experts, affected people, and officials: each moves different meters and different members.
Related terms
Comes up alongside