About 190 active service members or veterans take their lives each year in Virginia. Military advocates are hoping the creation of a suicide prevention coordinator can help.
Suppose your livelihood depends on persuading policymakers to draft legislation and adopt regulations to favor an interest or a client. Itâs called lobbying, defined in dictionaries as organized efforts to influence legislators. Itâs been around since the inception of the Republic, and it has historically required proximity and access to people in power. The very name derives from advocates who would crowd the corridors of power â lobbies â for some fleeting face time with policymakers.
Now, imagine that the whole in-person proximity part vanishes.
Thatâs exactly what has happened to Virginiaâs corps of lobbyists accustomed to their midwinter encampments on Capitol Square thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and the General Assemblyâs decision to largely meet virtually in the 2021 session that convenes in less than a month.