VCC Spring 2021

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S pring 2021 3 Spring 2021 Volume 27 Number 2 • Editor-in-Chief –Bonnie Atwood • Assistant Editors –Cierra Parks, McClain Moran & Hannah King • Publisher –David Bailey • Art Director – John Sours School Distribution –  schools@capitolsquare.com • Advertising –Ads@CapitolSquare.com • Printer –Wordsprint • Virginia Capitol Connections Quarterly Magazine (ISSN 1076-4577) is published by: Virginia Capitol Connections • 1108 East Main Street • Suite 1200 • Richmond, Virginia 23219 • (804) 643-555 • Copyright 2021, Virginia Capitol Connections, Inc. All rights reserved. The views expressed in the articles of Virginia Capitol Connections Quarterly Magazine , a non-partisan publication, are not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. C O N T E N T S VIRGINIA CAPITOL CONNECTIONS QUARTERLY MAGAZINE On The Web www.vccqm.org 4 The Transparency of a Virtual Session: Fabulous or Failure? 5 Stay Vigilant, Virginia: Lessons Learned from a Pandemic 6 Face-to-Face Interactions are Critical 7 Lobbying Without a Lobby 7 The Way I See It 8 Virtual Lobby Day 9 Who Will Win? Virginia’s Back in the Spotlight 10 Is Virginia Now a Beacon of Electoral Reform? Yes, but… 12 Virginia is for Voters 12 Virginia abolishes the death penalty 13 Lawmakers okay recreational marijuana possession, cultivation 14 Lawmakers Advance Voting Rights Act of Virginia 16 Passenger Rail Coming to Virginia’s New River Valley 18 Lawmakers Ban Gay Panic Defense in Virginia 19 Virginia Legislators Establish the First Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus in the General Assembly 20 Campaign Reform 21 Computer Science for All 22 An Effective Leader in Southside Virginia 23 Virginia Leads the Way in Services for Women Veterans 24 An intersection of the natural, cultural, and historical: Virginia Indian stories endure at Machicomoco State Park 26 Virginia is for ALL Lovers 27 In Memoriam Remembering Ben Chafin Remembering Mamye Edmondson Remembering Robert Bloxom 28 In Memoriam Remembering Woodrow Dowdy Remembering Pete Giesen 29 In Memoriam Remembering James Rothrock 30 Association and Business Directory page 4 rhyne page 9 saxman page 5 carey page 10 page 6 batten page 16 hinCker rush Cover photos by Michaele White/VDOT