I have to disagree with you completely on this.
While I understand the point I think you are trying to make, you make, people outside of government cannot own an issue.
They cannot sponsor an issue.
They cannot advance an issue inside government towards legislation.
Of course, people outside of politics can (and do) influence change, often greatly, they absolutely, 100% cannot institute or enact change, except within their own sphere of interest or influence.
Not officially no. They can influence those who write the bills and/or pass bills.
It was outside of the political sphere that Gingrich got the republicans to vote for the funding of solar radiation management (supported by Trump). It was sold as a compromise to climate change. I believe in 2019 funding was earmarked in the first COVID bill to Harvard, 20 million to start testing and to be implemented in 2022.
If our Congress folks don’t write bills or read bills, what do they do?