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We are very pleased to announce that Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, the Commonwealth’s Chief Jobs Creation Officer, will be our special guest for our annual Virtual Lobby Day on Thursday, February 11. Lt. Governor Bolling will answer questions posted by you and our thousands of blog readers live for one hour (exact time to be determined).

Simply post a question on this thread, or at this one, and he will answer as many as time permits. From his past blog interviews with us, we know the Lt. Governor likes to give detailed answers, so expect a great read. When we finalize the time, we will let you know and you can follow along, live, as he posts his answers in real time. Of course, the interview will be archived at the conclusion of the interview for you to read and comment on at your convenience. In addition, we have several other major plans for our virtual lobby day. So expect more exciting announcements here and in future e-mail alerts (sign up for our alerts here).

Lt. Governor Bill Bolling at our in-person lobby day, Family Foundation Day at the Capitol, January 18. He’ll also take questions from you on our Virtual Lobby Day February 11.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli appeared with Neil Cavuto on the Fox Business Network last night and answered questions from the anchor who appeared stunned Virginia had gone so far so fast in seeking to protect itself from federal intrusion in individuals’ health care decisions. He was referring, of course, to the quick work the General Assembly so far has made in advancing the Virgina Health Care Freedom Act.

To Cuccinelli, it’s not that at all — defending liberty is not far and speed is good in that regard. The AG said it was nice to see “freedom break out again” and for Virginia to be, most likely, the first state to pass such a law, leading now for liberty as it did in the 1700s. He also sounded ready and willing for the fight Cavuto predicted from the feds if and when Virginia asserts itself under the 10th Amendment when and if the central government mandates that individuals purchase particular products.

Cuccinelli: It’s nice to have a bipartisan outbreak of freedom.

Freedom-loving, constitution-respecting Virginians are one step closer to seeing Virginia enact historic legislation! Today, the House Commerce and Labor Committee voted 17-5 to report HB 10, The Virginia Health Care Freedom Act, to the House floor. The bill is patroned by Delegate Bob Marshall (R-13, Manassas). The committee also rolled the similarly worded HB 722, patroned by Delegate Chris Peace (R-97 Hanover), into HB 10.

In introducing the bill, Delegate Marshall told the committee that the Congressional Budget Office cited the fact that Congress in 220 years never has mandated an individual purchase of any product — and if it hasn’t done so in that time, it means it knows it can’t do so. In typical Marshall style, he also quoted Alexander Hamilton, the most ardent supporter among the Founding Fathers of an influential central government, in Federalist 83, where he explicitly stated Congress’ power extends only to certain enumerated powers and defined the “welfare” clause quite differently than do most politicians today.

In addition, the committee scheduled a late vote on SB 283, SB 311 and SB 417, the health care freedom bills passed in historic fashion by the Senate. The Senate bills are patroned by Senators Fred Qualye (R-13, Suffolk), Steve Martin (R-11, Chesterfield) and Jill Vogel (R-27, Winchester), respectively. Easy victories were expected for those bills as well.

Virginia now is only a few steps from leading on, and asserting, what it so profoundly led and asserted two centuries ago: That the states and the people, as explicitly stated in the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution, are the sovereigns of this country and commonwealth, and where the central government has no stated role, the people have natural rights to make decisions for themselves. Virginia now has the opportunity, in a new era, once again to lead the country in respect for constitutionally guaranteed limited government.

Even with this great momentum, nothing — nothing — should ever be taken for granted around here. These four bills – HB 10, SB 283, SB 311 and SB 417 – now go to the House floor. Anyone of the Senate bills that passes will go to Governor Bob McDonnell for his signature. E-mail your delegate (here) (or find your delegate here) and ask him or her to vote in favor of Virginians’ rights to make their own health care decisions without the federal government’s intrusion.

They’re heading out faster than John Dillinger after a bank heist. The cops aren’t chasing, but all 139 Virginia lawmakers (one House seat currently is vacant) are running from the forecast snow and ice. Come to think of it, with the amount of spending some of these guys do, maybe a good old-fashioned posse wouldn’t be a bad idea for the tax hikers and big spenders.

Every year we see more history unfold in the Western Hemisphere’s old legislative body. But today was history of a different sort — late today the House and Senate each announced the cancellation of their legislative calendars. Word around the GAB, including in the luxury suites of the 6th floor (offices of the leadership of both parties of both chambers) was that this is a first. But no one was complaining. An impromptu (and much needed) long weekend.

However, there are the diehards. After all, it’s not getting to and from capitol square that’s the problem. Most take places not far away for the 60 days. The problem is getting back to Richmond after leaving. Solution? Don’t go home. But go they will and session may now go 61 days — and this doesn’t include any overtime for the budget.

Combined with last Friday’s early get away, things are stacking up. Committee meeting cancellations last week meant doubled up meetings this week. Dockets were as thick as a Washington kiss-and-tell book. More time to waste sitting in committee wondering when your bill will come up.

Will the backlog add to the intrigue? Probably. Because there’s always something going on here. Except this Friday.

If you wonder why things are done the way they are done at the General Assembly, keep wondering. There are no easy explanations. Okay, maybe there are. (Partisanship?)

Take the Virginia Senate, for example. If you wonder why it can’t do the math for a balanced budget without its inevitable and annual call for tax increases, you can get a clue by how it apportions members to its various committees.

Senate Democrats have a 22-18 majority. Under any decent, rational and fair system of proportional representation, each committee would have 1.22 Democrats to every one Republican, or an 8-7 Democrat majority. But this is how the leadership of the majority Democrats have stacked that chamber’s committees:

Commerce and Labor: 9 to 6

Courts of Justice: 10 to 5

Education and Health: 10 to 5

Finance: 9 to 6

Privileges and Elections: 9 to 6

Rules: A whopping 13 to 4!

The total number of committee assignments is 100 for the Democrats and 67 for the Republicans, or a ratio of 1.49 Democrats per committee for every one Republican. Based on the 22-18 Democrat majority (a 1.22 Dem to GOP ratio), Democrat committee assignments should be a total of 92 and Republican committee seats should total 75 (a 1.23 Dem to GOP ratio) — a swing of eight less Democrat assignments and a gain of eight Republican assignments.

Only five Senate committees have the appropriate 8-7 ratio. Another aspect to consider: committee ratios are part of the Senate’s rules, which are adopted with each new Senate (every four years, most recently in 2008) and are supposedly intact for the entire four-year term. So, to change several committee ratios on the basis of one special election appears to be out of order.

By contrast, the House, which has a 61-38 (one vacancy) Republican advantage, divides its 22-member committee by the proportionally accurate 14-8 margins. That’s a one seat swing after the six-seat GOP gain last November.

So, if you are curious as to why things are done the way they are done, or, more precisely, why they don’t get done, as well as the strange games we’ve experienced recently in the Courts of Justice and Education and Health Committees, the raw partisanship demonstrated by stacking Senate committees is a good place to start.

Lt. Governor Bill Bolling will participate in a live blog interview here on February 11. Place your questions on this thread and he will answer as many as possible in an hour’s time. We will have further details later about this and other interviews as part of our annual Virtual Lobby Day.