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General Assembly's youngest delegate reflects on past legislative session

Del. Jay Jones of Norfolk sees the passing of the Ashanti Billie Act to be the highlight of his freshman session in the Virginia General Assembly.

NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) -- At 28 years old, Jay Jones went to Richmond in January as the youngest member of the General Assembly. The Norfolk Delegate rode the wave election to become part of the most diverse legislative body in the history of the Commonwealth, carrying expectations that a more progressive agenda may be pursed.

"It has been terrific," Jones said from his Norfolk law office. "We came in in January under a sort of different atmosphere with a House of Delegates that was far different than the one that met last year."

The General Assembly is different in a number of ways this year. There's almost parity in the House of Delegates and the body is the youngest and most diverse body in the history of the Commonwealth.

"The House of Delegates has more women than it's ever had before. We have Latinos and blacks and everybody in between, and I think that’s reflective of Virginia," Jones said while crediting the sweeping win by Democrats last November led by Governor Ralph Northam.

As a millennial and new to politics, Jones said he sees a change in Virginia today. People want solutions and results, not politics as usual, and he credits Governor Northam for setting that tone in Richmond.

"The fact you have a leader of the government who has been in the legislature before, who is someone who everyone seems to really like and looks to for leadership and I think that's a testament to the kind of person Governor Northam is and how much respect he commands from people on both sides of the aisle," Jones pointed out.

Jones noted his younger colleagues in Richmond have more energy than people would expect and are less focused on labels. He's proud of the relationships he's formed with those across the aisle and across the state.

"I think when you look at the areas were able to make some advances in, it wasn’t necessarily because of young or who the makeup of the body was. It was because we all wanted to put Virginia’s first and find the solutions that are going to work for everyone to keep us rolling in the right direction," Jones said.

It was the disappearance and death of Ashanti Billie where Jones made his greatest mark as a new lawmaker in Richmond, working to pass a law to give states the authority to issue alerts for vulnerable adults.

"It’s incredibly satisfying," Jones told me of passing the Ashanti Billie Act. Even more satisfying, Jones said, was calling Ashanti's parents to let them know the bill was headed to the governor's desk.

"I think when it comes to July 1st, when the bill goes into law, to have that sort of safety system in place will over the course of the bill save plenty of lives. It became clear to me this that happens far too often, and we didn’t want that to happen to continue to happen especially here in Virginia," Jones added.

SEE ALSO: Murdered woman's parents push for bill to create federal 'Ashanti Alert'

But the new look General Assembly did not produce the progressive agenda some thought it might. Gun control measures failed again, and a bill to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana failed to gain traction as well.

"I think that's why we have elections. If people would like to see that go in a certain direction, you have to elect people who are going to support a measure like that," Jones pointed out.

Jones admitted his work in Richmond has taken him away from his family and his law practice. He insisted politics have not changed him, and while some see a bright future for him, Jones said after one session in Richmond, that politics is not in his blood.

"It was certainly an opportunity to serve my community that I grew up in and I've been a part of my entire life. It was not something I was dying to get into but the opportunity was right. I feel very strongly that it was something that at the end of the day it was all about Norfolk and all about Hampton Roads and making sure we had dynamic representations which I think we get out of our delegation," Jones said.

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