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committees will routinely hold public hearings on topics under
their jurisdiction to gather information and opinions on hot
issues or specific pieces of legislation. An important part
of the legislative process, hearings provide a forum for discussion
and provide Members of Congress with opportunities to ask questions
of the witnesses. These hearings are open to the public and
are often televised or webcast. As part of the hearing, witnesses
are invited to testify before Congress, ranging from Administration
officials, private citizens, subject matter experts, and representatives
of national, state, or local trade associations or interest
groups. Other interested parties, despite not being invited
as formal witnesses, may still take part in the process by submitting
testimony, usually a written statement, to the committee so
that their views may be included in the official hearing record.
The role of testimony is to educate Members
of Congress on both the positive and negative aspects of the
proposal or topic. Over the years, several AACN member deans,
presidents, and staff have testified before Congress on a
variety of issues. Given our priority areas, AACN will submit
testimony to Congress and others entities to ensure that the
voice of nursing education and research is heard whenever
appropriate.
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