[Hotline number: 698-1990 in Richmond, (800) 889-0229 outside Richmond]

By Lindsay Kastner

Now in its fifth year, the General Assembly's constituent viewpoint hotline offers Virginians a convenient way to voice their opinions to the Legislature.

A call to the hotline puts citizens in touch with a live person, not an automated system, said Jay Braxton, logistics and procurement manager for the House of Delegates. "It gives the members' constituents the feeling that they're being heard," he said.

A hotline operator records a caller's message and forwards it to the caller's legislators in both the House and Senate. Operators can also provide callers with the names and office phone numbers of their legislators.

The hotline, which is operated only when the Assembly is in session, received more than 18,000 calls last year, said Braxton, who also noted that last year's was a short session.

During the first half of the current legislative session, the hotline had received 10,685 calls, said Jeanette Moore, support services administrator for the Senate.

Senate Clerk Susan Schaar said convenience is one reason people seem to like the hotline. "I think people will call where they might not sit down and write a letter," she said.

Schaar said she thinks a wide variety of people make use of the hotline.

Braxton said the costs of operating the hotline, which he called minimal, are shared by both House and Senate. The main expense, he said, is paying the salaries of the hotline's six operators.

Calls to the hotline are answered from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. each day that the Assembly is in session. To call toll-free, dial (800) 889-0229. People in the Richmond area may call 698-1990.