News from Delegate Herring – Restoration of Rights/ BRAC Issue

In This Issue

• Delegate Herring Needs Your Help
• Volunteer Night in August
• Del. Herring’s Note On The Restoration of Voting Rights
• BRAC Update

Welcome to Delegate Herring’s Newsletter

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. I hope you find the information in here valuable. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

I NEED YOUR HELP

I am hopeful that you have found the work that I have done for the 46th District and for Virginia to be outstanding. In order for me to continue my work, I will need to win my re-election campaign in 2011. I cannot do that without your help, it is that simple. Please contribute $25, $50, $100, or whatever you can today so that I can continue to my work. The most important part of my re-election campaign is communicating with my constituents. I send mailers to my constituents including this weekly newsletter during the year. This costs money. I simply cannot do this without you. I know that money may be tight for you, so a contribution no matter the amount would be appreciated.

VOLUNTEER WITH DEL. HERRING

Please join Delegate Herring on for letter stuffing and pizza, Thursday, August 12, 6:00 – 9:00 PM at the Alexandria Democratic Committee (618 N. Washington Street).

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. As promised, I will continue to update you on the business of the General Assembly and the state throughout the year. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Charniele

DEL. HERRING’S NOTE ON RESTORATION OF VOTING RIGHTS

Yesterday, the Voting Rights Restoration Working Group met before our final report to the Governor is presented in August. The good news is that the Governor’s office has not failed to meet their commitment to restore voters’ rights within 60 days of receiving a completed application. There has been improved coordination between the Courts and the Governor’s office which has lead to a more speedy process and hundreds of applications being approved since April. Given that there has been no change in the Constitution of Virginia allowing for the automatic restoration of voting rights, the movement on the Restoration of Voting Rights is commendable. However, I am concerned with maintaining the status quo – allowing a Virginia Governor to have authority to determine the restoration of voting rights for individuals who have completed their sentences for non-violent felonies. What happens to voting rights, four years from now, should we not have a Governor who does not desire to commit the resources to voting rights restoration for non-violent felons? Under our current system, if a Governor decides not to restore voting rights, then there is no requirement to do so. Therefore, I have always been a supporter of automatic restoration of voting rights.

In preparation of next year’s session, my office is surveying states which have automatic restoration of voting rights to determine if their process is more efficient in terms of the resources committed to determine a person’s eligibility and the time it takes for the process to be complete. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know by emailing me at info@charnieleherring.com.

BRAC UPDATE

This week I met with Senator Warner, state legislators, City and County Officials regarding the Senator’s Study of Federal Funding for Transportation Improvements in BRAC cases which is being conducted by the National Academies Transportation Research Board. As many of you are aware, the Defense Access Road Funding criterion outlines the following scenarios which will allow federal funding for road construction.

• The installation needs a new access road to accommodate the defense action
• A defense action causes traffic to double
• The installation needs a new or improved access road to accommodate a temporary surge in traffic to or from the installation due to a defense action
• The installation needs a new or improved access road to accommodate special military vehicles such as heavy equipment or transport vehicles, or
• The installation needs a road to replace one closed because of military necessity

The problem is that it does not appear that the BRAC 133 will fit within any of these criteria. Therefore, I believe that a declaration by the Secretary of Defense that national security requires the construction is the only hope that we may have to get federal funding which I stressed at the meeting.

Also, please join us on Thursday, July 29, 7:30-9:00 pm for the first Northern Virginia BRAC Working Group. VDOT will discuss VDOT’s Traffic Studies, Access Studies and the New Traffic Study that is about to be started for BRAC 133. Department of Army will do a presentation of its TMP. Ellen Coolidge Burke Library, 4701 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA. Contact, Office of Delegate Charniele Herring, Jennifer Bissett, Legislative Aide, 703-606-9705, RSVP not required but appreciated so that we can ensure that we have sufficient accommodations.

CONTACT US!

info@charnieleherring.com

PO Box 11779, Alexandria, VA 22312

For more information visit Delegate Herring’s Webiste or Read her Blog and don’t forget to find her on Twitter and Facebook.

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