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Alert of 10/30/06 - Call a Legislator
 

We need to meet with as many legislators as possible regarding the 2007 VVAW initiatives (click here).
   

We need legislators to support and patron those initiatives.  To get that support, we need you to contact your delegate and your senator.
 

Call the office of each and ask for an appointment.  They are your representatives and their time is your time. 

If asked why, tell them you want to discuss their 2007 legislative agenda, have a request for legislation that you are interested in, and want to ask their help and hear their position.
 

If asked to put it in writing first, attach the list of VVAW initiatives and refer them to the VVAW website (www.VirginiaVotersForAnimalWelfare.com).
 

If you want us to attend the meetings with you, we will do that.  Just schedule it at a time you can attend and we will make it work.
 

If the office of your legislator says they have received a call about this already, respond by saying that just shows the extent of popular support for this. 
 

Some of you have asked about the process of getting an idea made a law.
 

1)    A bill/initiative sponsor is called a "patron".  We have 1 official patron for 1 bill at present and that is Jim Scott for the gas chamber bill.  A co-sponsor is called a "co-patron", and we have several more for gas but want many co-patrons for gas and for every bill we are proposing.
 

2)    All of our individual initiatives need to be "patroned".  When the legislator agrees to patron, the initiative is sent to legislative services to be written into bill language by staff attorneys who are masters of statutory language and impact on other code sections, at least in theory.  The patron gets it back, approves or amends, then submits it for consideration in "final" form.  This final form is then circulated with a bill number, but may be changed by negotiation before committee consideration, or by the committee, or by the full House, Senate or Governor.
 

3)    That's pretty much it.
 

We are counting on you.  Let us know the meetings you have scheduled.
 

Lillian Clancy and Don Marro

and the Board of VVAW:  Peyton Coyner, Debra Griggs, Cindy Ingram, Kim Kincheloe, Mollie McCurdy, Pat Weakland