Through the Chair

Every organization has its own jargon. The Alaska State Legislature is no exception. There are lots of acronyms and abbreviations, but the words that I still find to be peculiar are "through the chair." When people testify to committees, particularly state employees and legislative staffers who are at committee meetings frequently, when they address a committee member, they often start out with, "Through the chair."

Click on the yellow button with the black arrow to hear some examples from the legislature.
[Sorry, Jamglue along with all my audio, shut down, so link doesn't work.]
Through the Chair Mix by AKRaven[

I'd never heard this particular usage before and even two months into this I still find it a bit strange. Admittedly, I haven't been to other state legislatures before and haven't heard that much Congressional debate on C-Span. I did read Robert's Rules of Order carefully in Junior High School when I was on the school council and I don't remember it from there.

In fact, I could find nothing online that suggests the use of "Through the Chair" as actual words to say.  They do say you should go through the chair, but not that you should say it.

Roberts Rules for Dummies:

Speaking through the chair

When addressing another member, you never go wrong by speaking through the chair. Refrain from using the member's name if you can avoid it. Respect is conveyed by depersonalizing comments made in debate. For example, "Mr. Chairman, does the member who just spoke have information on the cost of his proposal?" works much better than, "Dang it Fred, have you thought about how much your stupid idea is gonna cost us?" Formality has its benefits.

A British site called Academic Assistant tells us:

In formal meetings, the convention is 'speaking through the chair'.  That means it is considered rude to speak unless the chair invites you to do so. – Past practice might help here, but if it is a new committee or meeting, try to judge the level of formality to know if these conventions are strictly imposed. For example, do the members use first names or are they more formal? If you are not sure, ask the secretary of the meeting for their advice.

The Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education offers us an example in their
tips on Speaking Before a Legislative Committee"
 

When you speak to a legislative committee you must "go through the chair." This means you must first address the committee by saying, "Mr./Madam Chairman, committee members." This shows that you respect the chairman's authority.
The legislature records its committee hearings so you must first identify yourself for the record. Tell the committee your name and what group you represent. Remember to go through the chair. For example, a speaker would start by saying, "Madam Chairman, committee members, my name is Amber Smith. I represent Disneyland." After introducing yourself, you may give the committee your comments.
If a member interrupts you with a question he should go through the chair to ask the question and you must go through the chair to respond to the question. You must continue going through the chair on every question. For example:

Amber Smith:" . . .are too low and should be . . ."
Member Gonzales (interrupting): "Madam Chairman, Ms. Smith, so you feel the taxes are too low?"
Chairmen: "Ms. Smith."
Amber Smith "Madam Chairman, Representative Gonzales, yes. We feel the taxes are too low."
Chairmen: "Mr. Gonzales."
Member Gonzales: "Madam Chairman, Ms. Smith, would you be satisfied if we raised your taxes by 2%?"
Chairman: "Ms. Smith."
Amber Smith: "Madam Chairman, Representative Gonzales, we will not be satisfied with anything less than a 5% tax increase.

When you finish speaking to the committee, say that you will be happy to answer any questions. If anyone has questions, answer them by going through the chair. If not, thank the committee and return to your seat.

But to use the words "Through the Chair"?  I'm guessing other examples might be out there, but I can't find them.