Reasor, a two-term Democrat from Bluefield, signed the bill after the lobbyist assured him it faced no opposition. The episode demonstrates an unwritten code of conduct that helps elevate the best lobbyists from the rest in the frenetic atmosphere surrounding the Virginia General Assembly. The best lobbyists are professionals, according to legislators informally surveyed by The Times-Dispatch. Lobbying is their job, or a significant part of it. They are hired guns for the many and varied special interests that converge on the legislature each year to promote or thwart changes in state law.
Lobbyists often have greater access to lawmakers than do average citizens.
Their access is due partly to the contributions they and their clients make to political campaigns. Still, legislators say they need lobbyists to help them sort through the thousands of often-complex bills and resolutions introduced each session. But they expect lobbyists to give an honest accounting of all sides of an issue, including any potential political hazards back home. Not all lobbyists are alike. Typically, a lobbyist is a lawyer or full-time lobbyist who has several clients, but others are employees of the companies or associations they represent at the legislature.