GETTING A LAWMAKER'S EAR EXPERTS GIVE ADVICE ON SPEAKING UP

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 5, 1992                   TAG: 9201050062
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BONNIE V. WINSTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium
GETTING A LAWMAKER'S EAR EXPERTS GIVE ADVICE ON SPEAKING UP
In 1990, 1,026 lobbyists were registered and spent $4 million to influence and impress your legislators. They represented everyone from those who brought you into the world - the Medical Society of Virginia - to those who'll take you out - the Virginia Funeral Directors Association.
But are any of them really looking out for your interests?
If fear of the bureaucracy or ignorance of the legislative process is keeping you from speaking up on issues that may affect your life, relax. Following is some advice from veteran Del. Clifton Woodrum, D-Roanoke, and David L. Bailey Jr. of David Bailey Associates, a Richmond-based lobbying firm.
The basics Be a registered voter.
"It helps immensely to be a registered voter before you call up a legislator and ask that he or she vote a particular way," Bailey said.
"The last person who threatened me lived in Virginia Beach," said Woodrum, who represents a district in Roanoke. "That was really going to do me a lot of harm. Now if they say that and I know they live in my district and they've got a lot of friends, then they'll get my attention."
Know the players.
Bailey's organization puts out a directory of delegates and senators, including their names, district addresses, and phone numbers at home and in Richmond. You can get one by calling (804) 285-VOTE. C&P Telephone publishes a similar book, including a photo of each member. Those are available usually during the first week of the session at the legislative information desks in the General Assembly Building and the first floor of the Capitol.
What is most effective? Personal contact, followed by phone calls or hand-written letters. Form let- ters carry little weight, several legislators said.
"If the matter is urgent, call and register your opinion and say a letter will follow. Then write," Woodrum advises. "Things move so fast. When most people read about it, it has happened the day before."
Some believe if you start now, you're already late. The big boys already pumped big bucks into November's election campaigns, and have sewn up the legislators' social schedules during the session with breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, receptions and cocktail parties.
The best way for the average Joe to get a word in edgewise might be to hang around a legislator's office hoping for a brief visit or buttonhole a lawmaker during a break in a committee meeting. You can get a list of all members' committee assignments at the Legislative Information desks by the second week of the session and can get daily and weekly lists of committee meetings at the same place. The folks there will answer phone questions about specific meetings, too. Call (804) 786-7281.
Make it brief.
When you call a member, "keep your message very clear and very simple," Bailey said. "Be prepared to give in capsule why you think it's a good bill or to state your main objection."
"We cast more than 1,000 votes in 60 days, compared to Congress that had about 400 roll calls in the course of a year," Woodrum said. "You can see how precious time is . . . and the crush of legislation that must be considered."
What hope do you have of really changing a lawmaker's mind? "There are certain areas where I have such strongly held views that no amount of lobbying will make a difference - like all men are created equal, no schools should be closed, things like that," Woodrum said.
"Then there are gray areas, on down to areas where I don't have a strongly held position. Lobbying is most helpful in those areas where I have formed no strong opinion," he said.
David Bailey Associates, in conjunction with Market Square Teleproductions, has produced a 27-minute video tape that is a basic but handy primer for the citizen who wants to influence the legislature. The tape, "A Citizen's Tour Through the Legislative Process," is available for $35 from David Bailey Associates, P.O. Box 6273, Richmond, Va. 23230, or by calling (804) 285-VOTE.
A second video, "The New Leadership," is scheduled for release Jan. 15 and focuses more on who's who. It will cost $30 and will be available from the same address and phone number.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB