As promised, here is all the info you will need for Thursday.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Testifying in a Legislative Committee
(But Were Afraid To Ask!)
My cell phone number – 443.762.0892. I will be Annapolis in the morning, so please call me if you get lost or can’t find us.
You must bring a picture ID to get through security.
I am hoping we will have time for a quick lunch, but please do not count on it, meaning don’t come hungry.
Logistics
Our bill, SB 600, has been introduced in the Maryland senate and is being heard publicly in the Finance Committee, which is a standing Senate committee. Pleae plan to spend all afternoon in this hearing. Our bill will be heard with several others, and there is no way to know when our bill will be called. I have on occasion waited to testify until 4:30-5pm, so please plan on a long afternoon and rejoice if we are called early.
Please plan to meet me at 11:30am (no later than 12 noon) on Thursday, March 3 outside the Finance Committee Hearing Room, which is 3 East Miller Senate Office Building, 11 Bladen Street, Annapolis. Here is a link to the map: has directions to Annapolis from various points and to the Miller Senate Office Building. Also included are directions to parking garages and a map. Parking is not free. The layout of Annapolis can be confusing so I suggest you look at a detailed map (MapQuest is good) beforehand to familiarize yourself with the garages and exactly where the Miller Senate building is. Please note that the senate office building is only 1 building, but it is divided into 2 halves, one is called Miller, the other James. We’re in Miller.
If you are testifying, you will need to sign in (I’ll show you where) no later than 12:30pm and at that time we will hand in our written testimony. If you are planning to read your testimony, please be sure you have kept a copy for yourself. You need to make and bring 25 copies of your written testimony if you are doing written testimony. You may testify and not hand in written testimony, but I advise you to do written if you are speaking – it’s more compelling and the committee members actually do read the written testimony later. You may always hand in written testimony without testifying.
If you are handing in written testimony but cannot be in Annapolis (I know one of you is doing this), please mail your 25 copies to me - Maria Allwine, 2702 Louise Ave., Baltimore, MD 21214. If you are getting close to Thursday, mail it to Alice Wilkerson, Chief of Staff, Senator Jamie Raskin’s Office, James Senate Office Building, Room 122, 11 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401and please let me know that you have done that so I can alert Alice.
Your Testimony – What to Emphasize and What to Expect
Please read the bill (SB 600) before the hearing. Here’s the link again: There will NOT be a pop quiz, but it would be good if you could answer any questions that you might be asked about it. Don’t fret over this though.
The hearing starts at 1pm. You should plan to speak no more than 4-5 minutes. Usually what will happen is the committee members will allow certain known lobbyists to go over the time limit while keeping ordinary folks (that would be us) to the strict limit. So expect to have a time limit and if that does not happen, great. Your testimony should focus on the most egregious things that happened to you and the effect on your mental and physical health, your finances, whether you were fired or quit and whether you still have remaining issues from the bullying.
I will name my abusers and the firm, but that is my choice. Each one of you must decide what you are comfortable saying and go with that. I want to emphasize that if you take up time with the minutiae (and we could all go on for days about everything that happened to us) of your situation, you will lose the interest of the committee members. Remember that they will be hearing a lot of testimony on various bills, so you need to make whatever you say hard-hitting, shocking, surprising – that will make them sit up and focus on you and really listen to what you are saying. If you sound as if you are complaining, whining, moaning, etc. they will not take you seriously and it will hurt our cause. Sounding angry, combative and plaintive will hurt our cause. I will speak very matter of factly about what I enduredand will let what I have to say speak for itself – no histrionics and no rambling please.
Your written testimony should not be more than 2 typed pages. Your written testimony can be different from your spoken testimony. Mine usually is. I prefer to speak from my heart, but always hit the salient points in my written testimony. Having listened to a lot of folks testify, I can tell you that it is more compelling when you do not read your written testimony and just get up and tell it like it is.
These are public hearings and they are taped and put into the legislative record, so keep that in mind as you decide what you want to say. There will be a lot of people walking around, talking, etc. But I have seen everybody listen up when someone compelling was testifying. Committee members often get up, walk out, come back – don’t be insulted if they do so while you’re talking. It’s standard operating procedure in these committees. I spoke on the slots bill to about 7 members of a large joint committee that started out with about 35. It was late and most had left, but those of us at the end were as good as if we had been at the beginning.
Whatever each of us says should have the effect of making these legislators understand how pervasive this is, how detrimental to individuals and businesses this is, and how desperately those of us who are not in a federally protected class need this legislation.
Once all testimony on our bill is done and another one is called, we can go. If you testify and have to leave right after that, that’s fine. I hope (but realize this may not happen if we are called late) that we can have a few moments afterwards outside the hearing room to digest what occurred and get your reactions and thoughts. If we cannot do that afterwards, I’d appreciate it if each one of you would email me with your thoughts and impressions.
Finance Committee Members
This bill was sponsored and introduced by Senator Jamie Raskin (D) of Montgomery County. The co-sponsors are: Delores Kelley (D) Baltimore County, Rich Madaleno (D) Montgomery County and Norm Stone (D) Baltimore County.
The Finance Committee has 11 members: Thomas (Mac) Middleton, John Astle, Rob Garagiola, Barry Glassman, Delores Kelley, Alan Kittleman, Katherine Klausmeier, James Mathias, Jr., Anthony Muse, EJ Pipkin and Cathy Pugh. Let me give you some brief info on each one:
Middleton: (D) Charles County, pro-business, a protégé of Senate President Mike Miller, who is very pro-business. Middleton has been in the senate since 1995. He will need a lot of work to bring over to our side.
Astle:(D) Anne Arundel County, member of the "old guard", pro-business, in the senate since 1995. Also will need a lot of work
Garagiola:(D) Montgomery County, has a decent voting record on labor issues, is Catholic and a former military member, currently a lawyer at Greenberg Traurig (old lobby firm). He will probably be interested in our testimony, in senate since 2003, 39 yrs. Old.
Glassman:(R) Harford County, voted NO on legislation to give certain workers shift breaks, his voting record on labor issues goes downhill from there. His voting record indicates an antipathy toward workers, immigrants, felons, battered women or gays. In the senate since 2008. 49 yrs. Old
Kelley:(D) Baltimore County, very liberal and excellent voting record on labor issues. No more needs to be said – she’s a co-sponsor of our bill. In senate since 1995, 75 yrs old.
Kittleman:(R) Carroll & Howard Counties, His voting record indicates antipathy toward workers, environment, felons an drug users. He’s a lawyer. In a twist, he came out this year in support of marriage equality and lost his committee post as a result. So while he may not be receptive because he’s anti-labor, he may listen more than I think because of the personal dimension to our experiences. In senate since 2004, 52 yrs. Old.
Klausmeier:(D) Baltimore County, friend to labor and environment, Catholic, voted yes on marriage equality this year. In senate since 2003 61 yrs old.
Mathias:(D) Somerset, Wicomico & Worcester Counties (former mayor of Ocean City), Catholic, pro-business conservative Democrat with a poor voting record on labor issues, in senate since 2011 (delegate prior), 59 yrs old.
Muse:(D) Prince George’s County, but he is a conservative democrat on social issues, ordained minister, but has a good voting record on labor and civil rights issues, in senate since 2007, 52 yrs old.
Pipkin:(R) Caroline, Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties, Let’s just say you don’t even want to look at his voting record on labor issues – or anything else. Very conservative and not a friend of working people. Odd thing is: he sponsored a bill on BGE reregulation in 2007 and I worked very closely with him on it. Doesn’t give his age, but in senate since 2003.
Pugh:(D) Baltimore City, a friend to labor, the environment, civil rights, well-known in Baltimore city. Doesn’t give her age, but think she’s around 58. In senate since 1007.
You can read about any legislator’s voting record, bio, etc. on the Project Vote Smart website: as well as the Maryland General Assembly website: You can get great info on their voting records on the vote smart website.
Please feel free to email me with any questions you might have. I plan to write my testimony over the weekend and will send it out to you. But please don’t wait for me to write yours. As I said, your testimony is your own. All I ask is that you think strategically and keep my points in mind. As the Maryland coordinator for the national campaign, I will include some statistics on workplace bullying, but you do not need to do that.
I know that Thursday’s hearing is just our first step – our first shot across the bow so to speak. I expect some business lobbyists/representatives to be there Thursday, but if they’re not, that’s great. But if they are there, our poignant, personal and devastating stories should trump anything they have to say. I look forward to making more headway next year – with more sponsors and hopefully a cross-filed bill in the house. For procedural reasons, we did not cross-file this year so we would be assured of a public hearing.
Lastly, I look at testifying in public as a very important part of the healing process. As I’ve said, going public and pushing this bill forward is going to be my personal sweet victory – as I hope it will be yours.
Maria Allwine
Maryland State Coordinator – Healthy Workplace Campaign
443.762.0892