January 2024 NCSEA CSQ

I exchanged a series of emails with staff, then had a meeting to
provide them with my perspective on the issue and explain how
it would impact the families of Illinois. After that, I was told of the
possibility of the hearing. So, I started to work through the approval
process.
As I mentioned, I was a last-minute substitute for another person
from my office.
I was asked to be the witness for the minority Members. I have
worked with the committee staff for 25 years and got a phone
call just before Thanksgiving.
How did you prepare?
I went back through many emails, meeting minutes, etc., that we
have had on this topic over the last year or so. I first reached out
to directors who have been on the front lines of this issue to get
information and direction as to what would resonate. Then, I worked with
our state staff to obtain relative data in an attempt to be able to provide
compelling data and reviewed relevant laws, regulations, and guidance.
I drafted my prepared remarks, compiled a few other possible talking
points, and finally met with my leadership to ensure their goals were met
as well.
I worked with the NTCSA’s Legislative Committee (Tish Keahna,
Lisa Skenandore) to rework the previously prepared testimony to
fit my testifying instead.
I knew Jim, Bryan, and Sue would do a great job laying out the
specifics of the FTI issue. I had a different role in mind for
myself–to help translate child support to the tax world. It was a
joint committee hearing, with many members and their staff having
limited familiarity with the child support program and the important
income support it provides to families. I thought the committee members
might want more context and knew I had only five minutes to give oral
testimony. But I had a method–once I had written my testimony, I
chopped it down to three triple-spaced pages. I tried to distill my written
testimony to make three points: (1) child support is a major income
source for families with limited income; (2) the child support program is