Legislature > Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature
Are there services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing?
The Senate, the House of Representatives and the Legislative Coordinating Commission provide access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
A public access TTY pay telephone is located near the Capitol Information Desk on the first floor of the Capitol Building.
Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled may contact the Senate and House via their preferred Telecommunications Relay Service.
-
Minnesota Relay Service Minnesota Relay Service is a free service that uses a specially trained communications assistant (CA) to facilitate the telephone conversations between a person who has a hearing loss or speech disability and the person with which they wish to speak. All calls are completely confidential. To make a Minnesota Relay call dial 7-1-1.
-
Sign Language Interpreters In order to provide accessibility for meetings with legislators, legislative committee hearings, and House and Senate floor sessions, the Legislature contracts with Communication Services for the Deaf to provide legislative sign language interpreting services. Interpreting services are also available for hearings or meetings with legislators in greater Minnesota. To request legislative interpreting services, you may call (651) 224-6548; if you live in greater Minnesota, you can call 1-877-456-7589 (V/TTY). Please make your request at least 24 hours before the service is needed. You may also request legislative interpreting services from the committee administrator or committee legislative assistant that is planning the committee you want to attend.
You may also request legislative interpreting services by contacting the Legislative Coordinating Commission at (651) 296-9002, at (651) 296-1121, or at (651) 296-0099.
-
Closed Captioning Services For persons who need closed captioning services, you can contact the Legislative Coordinating Commission at (651) 296-9002, at (651) 296-1121 or at (651) 296-0099.
-
Sound Reinforcement Systems The Minnesota Senate has installed sound reinforcement systems for use in Capitol rooms 15, 107, 112, 123, 125, and the Senate chamber. Senate receivers may be signed out during normal business hours from the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, room G-1, Capitol Building. The systems, for the exclusive use of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, are available for the duration of a particular meeting or are to be returned immediately following the meeting. For meetings lasting beyond normal business hours, receivers are to be returned to the committee staff. Call the Sergeant-at-Arms at (651) 296-1119 for further information.
The Minnesota House has installed sound reinforcement systems in the ten hearing rooms in the State Office Building and in the House Chamber. House receivers may be signed out during normal business hours from the House Sergeant-at-Arms, room 190, State Office Building, and the Chief Clerk's Office, room 211, State Capitol. The systems, for the exclusive use of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, are available for the duration of a particular meeting and are to be returned immediately following the meeting. For meetings lasting beyond normal business hours, receivers are to be returned to the committee staff. Call the House Sergeant-at-Arms Office at (651) 296-4860.