Contact: Priscilla Knight, 703-392-1580, pknight@novec.com
Each January, state lawmakers gather in Richmond for the General Assembly session. The new laws, resulting from their many hours of hard work directly impact the everyday lives of Virginia’s citizens. To show the importance of being aware and involved in this legislative process, Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) recently hosted its annual Richmond Youth Legislative Day.
On February 1, five local high school students Anna Miner of Hylton High School, Maren Paslick of Forest Park High School, Gurjas Singh of Stonewall Jackson High School, Kevin Koehr of Seton High School and Allison Athey of Loudoun Valley High School traveled to Richmond to view state government in action.
“This has been an educational event that has really sparked my interest in politics,” said Maren Paslick. “Seeing them in action, I am more aware of the impact citizens can have on government. By speaking up and becoming involved, everyone can have a voice in our democratic process.”
The cornerstone of the day’s activities was the students’ visit with Lt. Governor Bill Bolling. He shared with them a discussion on the duties the Lt. Governor is responsible for conducting and had open conversation and answered questions. Allison Athey asked, “What is different between your 2006 legislative agenda and the governors?” Lt. Governor Bolling answered and stated that even though they are from different parties they do work together for the common good of the commonwealth. Virginia is one of the states where the Lt. Governor does not run on the same ticket as the governor.
At their lunch, they had the honor of a visit from our newly appointed Deputy Attorney General, Bill Mims. Other highlights included touring the construction at the state capitol and Executive Mansion, sitting in on a Senate Committee hearing, and participating in a discussion about lobbying for important issues.
“These students had the opportunity to experience first-hand how the entire legislative process works,” said Donna Snellings public relations liaison. “As a customer-owned cooperative, NOVEC is committed to providing today’s students with the tools necessary to become the active community leaders of tomorrow.”
For additional information about NOVEC’s Youth Tour program, please contact Donna Snellings at 703-392-1511, or visit the website at www.novec.com.
