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Submitting and Accessing Digital Committee Materials
Frequently Asked Questions

Policy committees are asking that people who are planning on testifying before an upcoming hearing to please submit their planned testimony, before the hearing, in electronic (digital) format. Whenever possible, please email the digital version of document(s) that you plan on distributing (in paper) to the committee. These materials—typically referred to as “committee exhibits” —might include letters to committee Members, reports, PowerPoint displays and similar items.
If received (at least three hours) before a hearing, staff will relay these documents to committee Members, electronically, so Members can review materials in advance. Many Members are also going “paperless,” meaning that they bring these materials to hearings on their computer, to follow along as they hear testimony.
After someone testifies, and hearing ends, the materials and information they submit are exhibits. These exhibits are then posted on the committee’s web page (see http://www.leg.state.or.us/committees/)
Below are detailed questions and answers to review before submitting hearing materials in digital format.

 

Q & A: Submitting Digital Materials for Committees

What types of materials are collected by staff for distributing to Members and then put on the committee’s web page?
As mentioned above, “exhibits” include most items presented or distributed during a committee hearing, such as agendas, written testimony, support documents, PowerPoint presentations, and amendments. Items such as oversized publications (posters) and video presentations generally will not be sent to Members in advance or on the committee’s web page. However, material not on committee web pages may be available by contacting committee staff.

I have testified before and distributed materials when called up to testify. Will committees using these new services change the process?
A little…but generally, no.
Committee staff often request, from those planning on testifying, that they send reports, PowerPoint files and other documents—in advance—so staff can relay it to committee Members. With this new service for Members, staff will be more diligent in requesting you submit hand-outs, in digital format, before hearings, or afterwards if not submitted earlier.  
Committee staff ask that you send final draft hand-outs, in digital format, at least three hours before a hearing.  This will allow time to make them available to committee Members who want to access them electronically.
Since most people already produce their hand-outs on a computer, we don’t anticipate it will require much extra work for those planning on testifying to relay these to committee staff.  

Do I still need to bring paper copies of all the hand-outs I intend on using with my testimony?
Yes. When called to the witness stand to testify, if you have hand-outs, have at least enough paper copies for each Member at the dais, plus three additional copies (one for the administrator; two for committee records). Before you sit at the witness table, you still hand these to the assistant, who will then distribute them to the dais.
Bring enough paper copies for all Members at the dais since some Members want hard copies of materials instead of a digital version. Additionally, other Members, who may usually use a computer, may need a paper copy if he or she has not received a digital version of testimony in advance and/or not had time to load it. Having a sufficient number of paper copies is a necessary back-up!
*IMPORTANT: If unsure, check with committee staff to get accurate information on how many copies to bring. Committee membership information is also available on the State Legislature’s web site (see: http://www.leg.state.or.us/comm/).

Committee staff usually suggests bringing extra copies of hand-outs for the hearing audience. Do I still bring extra paper copies? 
That is optional, and may depend on the committee. Our expectation is that the audience can access these materials later, once they are posted on the committee’s web page.  If you do bring extra copies, we will place them for distribution in the back of the room.
We defer to Chairs and Co-Chairs, with many matters, on their preferences for how hearings proceed. Some Chairs/Co-Chairs may want those testifying to bring extra copies of hand-outs. Agendas usually indicate (at the bottom) additional information and instructions. Check with the Administrator of the committee if there are questions.
Most hearing rooms also has a document camera--which is basically an overhead projector--next to the witness table. We encourage people testifying and referencing hand-outs (charts, tables, etc.) to use this projector. You can use it to project just about any document to the entire room.

How do I deliver these digital files to committee staff?
Email your final hand-out materials at least three hours before the hearing.
If staff do not get them before the hearing, email them during or just after the hearing, so committee staff can ensure Members receive the digital files as soon as possible.

Can I give committee staff a digital copy of my handouts on a flash drive or CD during the hearing?
No. During a hearing there is too much activity for the administrator or assistant to try and copy files from a flash drive or CD. Emailing them as attached files is the best method.
The Capitol Building has free, wireless Internet access, which should enable people to send emails with attached hand-outs from a portable computer within the building. [Note that this free Internet access must be used in compliance with the Capitol Wireless Terms and Conditions usage policy.  For a copy of this policy, please visit the IS Help Desk, Rm. 141 in the Capitol Building].

Can I email my attached digital testimony to Members at the dais—those with computers—during the hearing and just before I come up to testify?
You can, but Members are the dais may not have the time to retrieve an attached email file and load it on their computer to view as you are testifying. Email may also be “held up” due to Internet or other technical issues. Committee staff still ask that you bring at least enough paper copies of materials for each Member at the dais, plus three additional copies.   

Where do I find the email address to send digitized hand-out materials?
The email address is toward the top of committee agendas.

My handouts are sometimes in rough draft form right before the hearing. Can I send these draft materials in advance?
You can, but we prefer you not send files until you know they are final and match the paper copies you distribute when testifying.  If you send draft digital materials, and these materials change from the time you sent them to the time you testify, Members may end up with the wrong version on their computers. We currently do not have the ability to effectively update digital materials for Members “on the fly” (i.e. while the hearing is in progress).  
If a hand-out does change from the one you sent earlier, to the version you are using (in paper) as a handout, let Members know when you come up to testify that they should be using the paper vs. digital version of your hand-out.

What if I don’t have or fail to get committee staff a digital version of the hand-outs?
Before a hearing, staff then cannot relay digital materials to Members who want to have files to load on their computers for the hearing. 

Can’t committee staff just digitize (scan) the paper copy of my hand-outs after the hearing?
If possible, staff will scan some paper copies of exhibits, but only if necessary.  The expectation is that most people testifying will have already produced the document in digital format, and can email the correct digitized documents to staff.  

In what digital file format should my materials be sent?
Send them in PDF.  Most word processing and related software converts files to PDF. Committee staff can also convert most files to PDF. In some cases, Committee Services can also convert files to PDF for you, but there is no guarantee that Committee Services will have the same software (or version of software) used to create your material(s), preventing the staff from converting your files.  Receiving your files in PDF format will always save time.

What would be helpful to committee staff when I do attach my hand-outs to an email?
Please include:

Q & A: Committee Exhibits on the Web

Can the public access exhibits from a committee meeting?

Policy committees staffed by Committee Services have individual web pages, which include contact information for Members and staff, and available exhibits from each committee meeting.  See http://www.leg.state.or.us/committees/homepage.htm

 

Will all committee exhibits be available via a web page?
Most exhibits should eventually be available for committees and subcommittees staffed by Committee Services. While all committees may not “go live” the first day of Session, the goal of committee staff is to make exhibits available within 24 hours after the hearing on a web page, or in some cases exhibits can be emailed upon request. Contact the committee administrator to request exhibits by email.
Note: Some exhibits may not, for various reasons, be posted on committee web pages. Documents on committee web pages are provided as an informational service only and should not be relied upon as an official record. Copies of original exhibits for the current legislative session are on file at the Committee Services office. Exhibits for past legislative sessions are available at Oregon State Archives.
Committee exhibits are also public record, which means the public can request a copy of these hand-outs (or download documents from a committee web page). Committee staff assumes that all hand-outs, in paper and digital format, are submitted by persons authorized to make such documents a public document.  

Can the public still get a paper copy of an exhibit during a hearing?
Anyone who testifies may optionally bring additional copies of hand-outs for the audience. Using the committee web page, the public should be able to view and download most hand-outs after the hearing.
The Legislative Library, located in room 453 of the Capitol, (503-986-1668), has computers and printers that you can use to view these documents, once online, and to print a limited number of document pages.

When will exhibits be available on a committee’s web page?
It is the goal of committee staff to post all available electronic exhibits to the web page no more than 24 hours after the hearing has adjourned. However, factors such as the overall number of exhibits, etc. may delay the time it takes to post them on the web page.

Will exhibits be deleted after a certain date?
The page is designed to include all available electronic exhibits from applicable committees throughout the 76th Legislative Assembly. Exhibits will be available for current session only.

How do I know that exhibits on a web page are the current or correct version?
Committee staff post what is received electronically and/or scanned from the original paper version distributed at a hearing. Paper materials distributed during hearings are still the official record. These documents are maintained in Committee Records (Capitol Building room 453). When files are linked to the exhibit web page, the convention used to name each file will include the date of the hearing at which the document became an exhibit, along with other bill and committee-related information. This should help users more easily identify files download from a committee web page.

How do I know when the web is updated?
The user is responsible for checking web page content for new items. Staff are not able to send email messages, for example, to update people on the availability of specific items.

Can exhibits downloaded from the web page be altered?
Generally, no. Exhibits on web pages will be in Portable Document Format (PDF), which for the most part cannot be modified without special software.  However, since digitized materials submitted to committee are public documents, Committee Services cannot deter people from downloading and possibly misusing a document.

If I email my hand-outs to staff three hours before a hearing, will these hand-outs be put on the committee’s web page before the hearing begins?
No. The committee web page is just for committee exhibits. If these materials are distributed to the committee during a hearing, they become official exhibits. Staff will not be able to post exhibits until after the hearing. However, if you wish to ensure that your materials remain confidential until the time you decide to hand them out at the hearing, then do not relay them digitally to committee staff until after they become committee exhibits (i.e., they become public).

What if I submit materials for an upcoming hearing and request these be posted on the web prior to the hearing?
Committee web pages are generally for materials that become official committee exhibits, and exhibits are usually documents handed-out by people who testify or are submitted to be included in the record. 
Sometimes people anticipate testifying, but do not get to a hearing, or sign-up to testify and the hearing ends before they are called. Or, a bill is carried over to another day when that person may get to testify and provide hand-outs. In these situations, materials posted on a web page in advance of a hearing, without accompanying testimony or explanation, may create confusion to web page visitors. 
However, committee chairs will often accept letters or other documents that people submit, even though the person does not testify. In these cases, the chair notes the document for the record and it becomes an official exhibit (and so will be added to the web page as well).

Are there some exhibits that will not be on the committee’s web page, even if submitted as an exhibit during a hearing?
Yes. Sometimes committees receive oversized documents (e.g., posters) that cannot be feasibly scanned and placed on the web page. Or, someone may show a DVD, which then becomes part of the official committee record. [We collect a copy of the DVD for committee records, but cannot store such large files on our system.] In these and similar situations, the committee web page will note that the exhibit is unavailable on the web.

Will proposed amendments be available on committee web pages?
Any proposed or adopted amendments, distributed as exhibits during a hearing, should appear on the committee’s web page sometime after the hearing ends.
Amendments are usually one document that hearing room audiences often wants to review before or during a hearing, so committee staff will strive to distribute paper copies of amendments whenever possible.
If committee staff have amendments that are ready for public distribution, and have them far enough in advance of the hearing, these may be available on the committee web page.

Do all committees have web pages, and will they post all exhibits from each hearing?

All committees have web pages on the Oregon State Legislature’s web site, and these pages contain a lot of good information. See http://www.leg.state.or.us/committees/ for a list of all 2011 session committees, and links to their web pages.  
Committee Services administers “policy-only” committees, except for revenue and budget-related committees.  Senate Finance and Revenue, House Revenue, and Joint Tax Credits committees are administered by the Legislative Revenue Office. Joint Ways and Means (and their subcommittees) and Joint Legislative Audits, Information Management and Technology committees are administered by the Legislative Fiscal Office.
Due to the function and nature of various committees, some may update and distribute information in different ways. Visit each committee’s web page for more information.

February 4, 2011

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