Va. House clerk headed to Afghanistan

The deputy clerk of the Virginia House of Delegates, an Army reservist, has been called to active duty and will soon be deployed for a year-long tour in Afghanistan, reporter Rosalind Helderman tells us over at the Virginia Politics blog.

In an e-mail to delegates and legislative staff, House Clerk Bruce Jamerson wrote that Deputy Clerk for Committee Operations Scott Maddrea has been a reservist for the past 20 years, most recently serving as an instructor at the Army's Command and General Staff College. But Maddrea's primary training is as a military policeman, and he is being deployed overseas in that capacity.

Maddrea's last day at the Capitol is Thursday; he is expected to be absent until Labor Day 2011, meaning he'll miss the 2011 legislative session and any special sessions that are held in the next year.