On Friday, May 27 at 10:00 am the Boston City Council’s Committee on Boston’s COVID-19 Recovery will hold a hearing on the use of Boston’s American Rescue Plan Act Funding specifically focused on Economic Opportunity & Inclusion, Arts & Culture, and Early Childhood. You can watch a live stream of the hearing at boston.gov/city-council-tv
Hearings are an important part of city government and an opportunity for Boston residents to make their opinions known. The Committee will invite city officials, experts and Boston residents to share their opinions through testimony. After the hearing the committee will make a recommendation on spending plans for the entire City Council to consider.
What Advocates Can Do
There are three ways you can engage in the hearing process:
- Testify in person at the Hearing
- Testify virtually via video conferencing
- Submit Written Testimony
How Do I Testify in person at a Hearing?
- The hearing will be held in the Iannella Chamber, 5th floor, Boston City Hall.
- You can sign up to testify when you arrive - before the hearing begins.
- (the official notice recommends arriving 5 minutes prior to the start but you would plan to arrive a bit before that to ensure you are at the beginning of the public testimony portion.)
- You will have up to 5 minutes to share your thoughts on the ARPA spending plan.
- In the case of this bill, we urge you to share your support for $20M of ARPA funds for arts and culture.
- Please bring 15 copies of any written documents you wish to present at the hearing.
How Do I Testify Virtually?
- Email Michelle A. Goldberg, staff contact for the committee ([email protected]) for a video conferencing link and instructions.
- You will have up to 5 minutes to share your thoughts on the ARPA spending plan.
- In the case of this bill, we urge you to share your support for $20M of ARPA funds for arts and culture.
Below are some tips for preparing your testimony:
- Begin by addressing the Chair of the committee (Chair Kenzie Bok) and members of the Committee.
- Thank the entire committee for the opportunity to share your testimony.
-
Introduce yourself:
- "For the record my name is (name) and I am (job title, profession and/or artistic discipline).
- If you are from an organization feel free to share a sentence about the organization.
- State your support for $20M of ARPA funds for Arts and Culture.
- Finish by thanking the committee and offering to answer any questions they might have.
How Do I Submit Written Testimony?
Writing testimony is an excellent way to add your voice to the public record. Written testimony is considered by committee members and staff when making final decisions. Below are some tips for writing testimony in support of $20M of ARPA funding for arts, culture and creativity:
- Testimony can be submitted via email to Michelle A. Goldberg, staff contact for the committee ([email protected])
- Use "Written Testimony – Boston’s COVID-19 Recovery Committee Hearing 05/27/22" in the subject line.
- You should address the testimony to Hon. Kenzie Bok, Chair of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee.
- Check out these talking points to help you make your case.
- While there is no explicit due date, it's helpful to submit written testimony by the end of the day Friday May 27, 2022.
