Summary
Current Position: State Delegate of District 46 since 2009
Affiliation: Democrat
Charniele Herring was first elected Delegate for the 46th District in 2009. The 46th District includes parts of the City of Alexandria.
Delegate Herring is Chair of the Courts of Justice Committee and is a member of the Rules Committee. She presently serves on the Board of the Parent Teacher Leadership Institute of Alexandria and as a Trustee of Hopkins House—advocating for strong pre-k education.
OnAir Post: Charniele Herring
News
RICHMOND — Democrats in the House and Senate who had been at odds over legislation to allow criminal record expungement reached an agreement that advocates said will be a huge improvement for Virginia.
House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, outlined the changes Wednesday when the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced her bill.
She said the compromise would “remove barriers and address systematic inequities to provide a clean slate for Virginians who have paid their debt to society or have had charges deferred or dismissed.”
– February 21, 2021
For decades the criminal justice system has been failing our most vulnerable communities while working for the most privileged members of society. Black and brown Virginians are arrested and convicted disproportionately at alarming rates for crimes their white counterparts will see zero or little jail time for.
Systemic racial biases in our criminal justice system have led to Black and brown Virginians filling our prison cells for minor crimes. But even when individuals have served their time, they must live the rest of their lives with their convictions as a stain on their records.
Virginia’s current expungement laws are some of the most restrictive in the country and, most notably, they offer no chance of a clean slate. Right now, expungement only applies to offenses that did not result in a conviction or a deferral and dismissal of the case. So, Virginians who have served their sentence, which is often a much larger sentence than the crime warranted, are either unable to clear their records, or have to jump through numerous hoops to do so.
RICHMOND — The General Assembly is under a tight deadline to add new judges to Virginia’s Court of Appeals, with the goal being able to appoint them to the bench before the legislative session concludes at month’s end.
Gov. Ralph Northam identified expanding the court by adding more judges a priority, requesting the General Assembly put $5 million in the budget to accomplish it, but the process has been rocky in the Democrat-controlled legislature. Both chambers need to pass legislation, and agree on how much to put in the state spending plan to support the effort.
The Senate passed a bill last week to add six new judges — two more than what Northam proposed — to the 11-member court. The House of Delegates did not take any action on its own bill, which caused senators to raise eyebrows. House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, chairwoman of the House Courts of Justice Committee, said the House didn’t have enough time to review the bill in committee before the deadline to complete action on House bills last week. She said she remains committed to expanding the court, despite what she said has been a “problem with the process.”
RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation this week that lawmakers said will increase transparency and equity in the judicial system, which disproportionately impacts communities of color.
The bills, introduced by Senator Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and Delegate Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, will create a centralized, publicly-accessible data collection system on pretrial detention. Senate Bill 1391 and House Bill 2110 both passed Thursday, February 18.
Pretrial detention is the practice of holding a defendant in jail until trial. It is used, officials say, to guarantee the defendant appears in court and to ensure public safety. The compiled pretrial data would be distributed annually by the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission (VCSC).
About
Source: Campaign page
Charniele has lived in Northern Virginia area for over 30 years, most of them in the West End of Alexandria. Charniele has a rich history of community involvement as a volunteer, a member of Rotary, and a past Chair of the West End Business Association. She has served on the Alexandria Commission for Women, including Chairing the organization. She was also appointed by Governor Tim Kaine to the state’s Council on the Status of Women. She presently serves on the Board of the Parent Teacher Leadership Institute of Alexandria and as a Trustee of Hopkins House—advocating for strong pre-k education.
Born into military family, Charniele moved often as child before landing permanently in Northern Virginia. When she was a teenager, Charniele’s mother lost her job and despite their best efforts they ended up homeless. For a time, Charniele and her mother stayed in a homeless shelter at nights while Charniele attended West Springfield High School during the day and her mother searched for work. The experience of being homeless shaped Charniele’s character and taught her the values of hard work, resilience and looking out for those people society often overlooks.
Charniele got the chance to attend college as part of the STEP Program that allowed students from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to prove they were capable of college level work. She commuted to George Mason for four years and graduated with a degree in Economics, and while she was in school she gave back as a volunteer crisis intervention counselor and trainer at Alexandria Mental Health Services and worked with nonprofit advocates on issues surrounding homelessness prevention. Charniele’s first job out of college was as a VISTA volunteer providing low-income housing for at-risk families before attending law school at Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law. After law school, Charniele worked at the oldest African-American owned firm in Greater Washington before opening up her own firm here in Northern Virginia. She currently works as General Counsel to Admin & Logistics, Inc, a government contracting firm.
Experience
Work Experience
- Attorney
Admin & Logistics, Inc
2019 to presentgovernment contracting firm
Education
- B.A., Economics
George Mason University
1993 to present - J.D.
The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
1997 to present
Personal
Birth Year: 1969
Place of Birth: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Gender: Female
Race(s): African American
Religion: Baptist
Membership & Affiliation:
Hopkins House (trustee)
Membership & Affiliation
- Alexandria Rotary
- Hopkins House
Contact
Legislative Assistant: Zachary Rickard, Chief of Staff
Administrative Assistant During Session: Darcy Mathes
Email:
- Government – DelCHerring@house.virginia.gov
Offices
Capitol Office
Pocahontas Building
900 E. Main St,
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 698-1046
District Office
P.O. Box 11779
Alexandria, VA 22312
Phone: (703) 606-9705
Web
Government Page, Campaign Site, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn
Politics
Source: Wikipedia
At age 13, during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, Herring testified before a government commission about health care coverage for military dependent children.Virginia Governor Tim Kaine appointed Herring to the state’s Council on the Status of Women. In 2006, she attended the Political Leaders Program at the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.
Recent Elections
2019
| Charniele Herring (D) | 12,287 | 92.03% |
| Write-in (Write-in) | 1,064 | 7.97% |
| TOTAL | 13,351 |
2017
| Charniele Herring (D) | 18,947 | 96.41% |
| Write-in (Write-in) | 706 | 3.59% |
| TOTAL | 19,653 |
2015
| Charniele Herring (D) | 7,507 | 67.0% |
| Sean Thomas Lenehan (R) | 3,170 | 28.3% |
| Andrew Gerrit Bakker (L) | 505 | 4.5% |
| Write-in (Write-in) | 29 | 0.3% |
| TOTAL | 11,211 |
2013
| Charniele Herring (D) | 15,066 | 95.7% |
| Write-in (Write-in) | 684 | 4.3% |
| TOTAL | 15,750 |
Finances
HERRING, CHARNIELE L has run in 7 races for public office, winning 5 of them. The candidate has raised a total of $1,073,552.
Source: Follow the Money
Committees
Committees
Courts of Justice
Counties Cities and Towns
Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Subcommittees
Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources – Subcommittee #3
Counties Cities and Towns – Subcommittee #3
Courts of Justice – Subcommittee #1
Appointments
Crime Commission, Virginia State
District Courts, Committee on
Criminal Law Subcommittee
Economic Opportunity for Virginians in Aspiring and Diverse Communities, Commission on
House Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources
House Counties Cities and Towns
House Courts of Justice
Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission
Judicial Panel
Voting Record
See: Vote Smart
New Legislation
Source: Virginia Legislative Information System
Issues
Source: Campaign page
Education
From personal experience I know that education is key to our children’s future success. I will work to fund quality pre-K education for all of Virginia’s children; promote personal curriculums in our schools; and for higher teacher salaries to attract and maintain quality teachers for our children. John Adams and Tucker Elementary School are overcrowded. We need someone ready to work now to get funding for the expansion of these schools. This is crucial given the expected development of Landmark Mall, the Van Dorn corridor and the new housing along the Beauregard Corridor.
Environment
A healthy environment must be protected as well as our natural resources. I support finding alternative fuel sources that protect our environment instead of drilling off the shores of Virginia to feed our addiction to oil. Further, I support cost-saving and environmentally sound initiatives that will protect our environment such as telecommuting programs
Health Care
At the age of thirteen, I testified before a White House committee about the need to maintain healthcare benefits for children of military families. I understand the importance of quality healthcare and the fear that one faces when struck with an illness and lack of the means to pay for treatment. Healthcare is a matter of human dignity. I support universal healthcare and will work to ensure that Virginia fully funds healthcare for those who cannot afford to cover themselves through private insurance companies.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Ever since I moved to Northern Virginia, traffic has been an issue. I am tired of hearing about the issue and seeing no resolution. I will work to get funding into a lock box for our roads and infrastructure once and for all. After a long day at work, we all want to spend less time on the roads and more time with our families.
Housing
I have worked to protect the interests of families by working with housing groups to get funding for the Homeless Intervention Protection Act expanded. In the face of our challenging economic times families are facing foreclosures and rising costs of rental housing. I will work to protect programs that currently protect families from ending up on the streets.
