Legislature should standardize rules for online testimony

Long before the COVID 19 pandemic we at the Rio Grande Foundation advocated for remote testimony at legislative hearings. Continuation of remote testimony is one of a small number of positives in the post-COVID era.

Alas, as the email traffic below plays out (read top to bottom) we attempted to testify before the Senate Conservation Committee on the morning of Feb. 8 regarding HB 41 (Clean Fuel Standard). Even though Gessing emailed the appropriate contact the day before to testify and was in the Zoom meeting during the public comment portion of the meeting, he was not allowed to participate.

The Legislature should ideally create some basic standards for testimony (both in-person and remote). It is already intimidating enough for people unfamiliar with Zoom to use the technology appropriately.