Member's Login

HOW TO VISIT A LEGISLATOR

A personal visit with your Delegate or Senator, either at home or in Richmond, can be rewarding, exciting, and anxiety-creating. The following are some steps and tips to make such a visit most effective.

BEFORE YOUR VISIT:

  1. Make an appointment: by phone, email, or mail.
  2. Confirm appointment by phone, email, or mail.
  3. If your legislator is not available, appointments with legislative aides are also valuable.

Brief yourself about your legislator:

  1. General extent of the district.
  2. Committee assignments.
  3. Number of terms served.
  4. Professional background.
  5. Voting record on issues of your interest (available through the Commonwealth of Virginia’s website at http://legis.state.va.us.
  6. Views stated publicly on issues of your interest.

Define the objectives of your visit:

  1. Is your objective to get acquainted, express general views, or discuss specific
  2. issues? You cannot do all three in one meeting!
  3. Limit the number of issues to be discussed to 2 at most, 1 is better.
  4. Brief yourself on the facts surrounding the issue and your views on it.
  5. Briefly outline your comments and/or prepare written summary.

Anticipate:

  1. Appointment may start late.
  2. If during the General Assembly session, legislator may be in session and unavailable - Plan to either wait, meet with staff, or make a new appointment. Be understanding and flexible.
  3. Lengths of meeting may range from ten minutes to an hour. Going as a group has advantages, but remember meetings are often in tight office space, so keep your group manageable.
  4. Who (if group) will be spokesperson, introduce group, guide conversation, provide summary of issue, etc. Assign specific roles to each participant.
  5. Above all else, STAY ON MESSAGE. Let nothing distract you.

Center Priorities (.pdf)

Bulletin Inserts
Child Support (.pdf)
Environment (.pdf)
Housing Trust (.pdf)
Indigent Defense (.pdf)
Payday Lending (.pdf)
Minimum Wage (.pdf)

Advocacy Resources
Advocacy Guide (.doc)
Advocacy Portal (link)
Lending Info. (.ppt)
Richmond Map (.pdf)

For Small Groups
Eco-Stewardship (link)
Prayers for Creation (link)
Poverty Diet (link)

    Policy Briefs
    EITC (.doc)
    TANF Child Support (.doc)
    Payday Loans (.doc)
    Healing Creation (.doc)
    Child Ombudsman (.doc)
    Affordable Housing (.doc)
    Indigent Defense (.doc)
    Minimum Wage (.doc)
    Wage & EITC (.doc)
    VA Tribes (.link)

    Actions
    Lending Petition (link)
    Title Petition (link)
    Wage Petition (link)

    Reports
    Budget Analysis (.pdf)
    Food Stamps (.doc)
    Lottery Study (link)

    FAQ's (link)

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