Advocacy is one of VRLTA’s most important missions as an organization. Helping Virginia’s hoteliers, restaurateurs, and tourism professionals understand and take part in policy-making is vital to accomplishing that mission. These resources will give you the knowledge to take advocacy into your own hands and develop productive working relationships with your elected officials.
If you have any questions or would like more information on VRLTA's legislative resources and policies - contact Tommy Herbert, VRLTA Director of Government Affairs.
The Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP)
VPAP is a Virginia-focused organization that collects and analyzes data on a number of political topics including: redistricting, election results, campaign finance reports, lobbyist registrations, legislative voting records, and more. It is an indispensable tool for anyone working on or around Virginia politics, and a one-stop shop for data that many states envy.
One of VPAP’s most helpful resources is a daily aggregation of political news stories and commentary from all of the Commonwealth’s print media outlets. That email digest is called “VaNews,” and it is an extremely valuable tool that is read very widely amongst Virginia’s political ecosystem. Each day it brings the links to all of these stories, as well as a short paragraph from the story for description.
Some More Helpful Resources
Intro text. Below you'll find the Virginia Government Liasons Manual as well as the Code of Virginia.
The Virginia Government Liasons Manual lists out the best public contacts for all of Virginia’s governmental departments and the most important Boards and Commissions. It is invaluable for those who would like to connect directly with their government officials. The link provided to the Code of Virginia is a website all of Virginia's laws are indexed and searchable.
For me, the real value I get out of my membership is the advocacy and representation provided by the VRLTA. They actively work to protect the interests of the restaurant and hospitality industries, lobbying for favorable policies and legislation at both the state and national levels. Their voice carriers significant weight in the commonwealth, and I find comfort in knowing that my concerns as a restaurateur are being heard and acted upon.
- Frank Thomas Brunetto, Director of Operations, Enviro-care
