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Vernon Jones
DTo be claimed
Vernon Jones is a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing District 91. He was first elected to the chamber in 2016.
Former Member, Atlanta Regional Commission
Former Member, DeKalb Board of Health
Former Member, DeKalb Library Board
Former Member, DeKalb Pension Board
Former Member, Georgia State Health & Human Services Committee
Former Member, Georgia State House Appropriations Committee
Former Member, Georgia State House Banking Committee
Former Member, Georgia State House Infrastructure Committee
Former Member, Georgia State Industry Committee
Member, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight
Member, Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications
Member, Human Relations and Aging
Member, Transportation
Favorite Quote:
"I Would Rather Be Hated For Who I am Than to Be Loved For Who I am Not"
Hobbies or Special Talents:
Searching for antiques, farming, being outdoors
1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer
2. Abortions should always be legal.
- X
3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester.
- X
4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- X
5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X
6. Dilation and extraction or "partial-birth" abortion procedures should be legal.
- No Answer
7. Medicare, Medicaid, and federal subsidies should be prohibited from being used on abortion procedures.
- No Answer
8. Other or expanded principles.
- No Answer
1. Agriculture
- Greatly Increase
2. Arts
- Maintain Status
3. Defense
- Slightly Increase
4. Education
- Greatly Increase
5. Environment
- Greatly Increase
6. FEMA
- Maintain Status
7. Homeland security
- Slightly Decrease
8. International aid
- Maintain Status
9. Law enforcement (Federal)
- Greatly Increase
10. Law enforcement (State)
- Greatly Increase
11. Medical research
- Greatly Increase
12. National parks
- Maintain Status
13. Public health services
- Slightly Increase
14. Scientific research
- Slightly Increase
15. Space exploration programs
- Maintain Status
16. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Greatly Increase
17. United Nations
- Slightly Decrease
18. Welfare
- Slightly Decrease
19. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Armed forces personnel training
- Greatly Increase
2. Intelligence operations
- Greatly Increase
3. Military hardware
- Greatly Increase
4. Modernization of weaponry and equipment
- Greatly Increase
5. National missile defense
- Greatly Increase
6. Pay for active duty personnel
- Greatly Increase
7. Programs to improve troop retention rates
- Slightly Increase
8. Research and development of new weapons
- Slightly Increase
9. Troop and equipment readiness
- Slightly Increase
10. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Less than $12,000
- Maintain Status
2. $12,001-$40,000
- Maintain Status
3. $40,001-$100,000
- Maintain Status
4. $100,001-$180,000
- Maintain Status
5. $180,001-$350,000
- Maintain Status
6. $350,001 and above
- No Answer
7. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status
2. Capital gains taxes
- Greatly Decrease
3. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
4. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Increase
5. Gasoline taxes
- Slightly Decrease
6. Inheritance taxes
- Greatly Decrease
7. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Charitable contribution deduction
- Greatly Increase
2. Child tax credit
- Slightly Increase
3. Earned income tax credit
- Slightly Increase
4. Medical expense deduction
- Slightly Increase
5. Mortgage deduction
- Slightly Increase
6. Student loan credit
- Slightly Increase
7. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
8. Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
- Yes
9. Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year?
- Yes
10. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
- X
2. Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
- No Answer
3. Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
- No Answer
4. Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
- X
5. Support prohibiting ads containing candidates' name that are paid for by third parties from airing 60 days before a primary and 30 days before a general federal election.
- X
6. Support instant run-off voting (IRV).
- No Answer
7. Support designating Election Day as a national holiday.
- X
8. Support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations.
- No Answer
9. Support limiting the President's use of signing statements in order to prevent an alternative interpretation of the bill.
- X
10. Support a federal shield law to protect reporter-source privilege.
- No Answer
11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- X
2. Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- No Answer
3. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X
4. Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
- X
5. Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
- No Answer
6. Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
- X
7. Support strict penalties for internet crime (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
- X
8. Require that crimes based on sexual orientation be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
- No Answer
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support the federal government funding universal pre-K programs.
- X
2. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- X
3. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
- No Answer
4. Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools.
- No Answer
5. Increase funding for the Pell Grant program.
- X
6. Decrease interest rates of Stafford Loans.
- X
7. Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
- X
8. Ban university financial aid officers from owning stock in or accepting gifts from student loan lenders.
- X
9. Require universities to disclose financial relationships with lenders.
- X
10. Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- X
11. Eliminate all federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- No Answer
12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today?s job market.
- X
2. Reduce government regulation of the private sector.
- X
3. Encourage employers to offer child care services, flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
- X
4. Increase the federal minimum wage.
- No Answer
5. Support the right of workers to unionize.
- No Answer
6. Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
- No Answer
7. Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer
8. Include gender identity in federal anti-discrimination laws.
- X
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
- X
2. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
- X
3. Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
- No Answer
4. Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- No Answer
5. Strengthen fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- X
6. Support domestic oil exploration in areas that are currently restricted.
- X
7. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels.
- X
8. Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
- X
9. Support research and development of nuclear reactors as an alternative energy source.
- X
10. Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits under "cap and trade" laws.
- X
11. Support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming.
- No Answer
12. Support international voluntary emission targets to limit global warming.
- X
13. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Allow individuals to carry concealed guns.
- X
2. Ban the sale, ownership or possession of handguns except by law enforcement and other government officials.
- No Answer
1. Enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- Slightly Increase
2. Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- Eliminate
3. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Implement a universal healthcare program to guarantee coverage to all Americans, regardless of income.
- No Answer
2. Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
- X
3. Allow the importation of prescription drugs into the United States.
- No Answer
4. Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
- X
5. Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
- X
6. Support expanding child healthcare programs.
- X
7. Providing healthcare is not a responsibility of the federal government.
- No Answer
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
- No Answer
2. Establish English as the official national language.
- No Answer
3. Support a temporary worker program.
- No Answer
4. Support harsher financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
- X
5. Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
- No Answer
6. Illegal immigrants should have to return to their countries of origin before being considered for citizenship.
- X
7. Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship.
- No Answer
8. Support merit-based visas over family-based visas.
- No Answer
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support the United States granting aid to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
- X
2. Support the United States granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
- X
3. Eliminate United States aid for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
- No Answer
4. Aid granted by the United States should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
- X
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
- Yes
2. Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
- Yes
3. Should the United States impose greater international sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates?
- Yes
4. Should the United States support the Lebanese government against insurgent forces?
- Yes
5. Should the United States maintain its troop levels in Iraq?
- Undecided
6. Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
- Undecided
7. Discuss your proposals for Iraq.
- No Answer
8. Should the United States apply greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea if it fails to abide by its agreement to suspend its nuclear program?
- Yes
9. Should the United States increase financial support for Afghanistan?
- Yes
10. Should the United States increase military support for Afghanistan?
- Yes
11. Should the United States trade nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes?
- No
12. Should the United States decrease financial support for Pakistan?
- Yes
13. Should the United States decrease military support for Pakistan?
- Yes
14. Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan?
- Yes
15. Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Yes
16. Should the United States provide economic and military support to the Transitional Government of Somalia?
- Yes
17. Should the United States use sanctions to encourage the government of Zimbabwe to end its human rights abuses?
- Yes
18. Should the United States support the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo?
- Undecided
19. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China?
- Yes
2. Do you support the United States imposing trade sanctions on Venezuela?
- Yes
3. Do you support the United States involvement in free trade agreements?
- Undecided
4. Do you support the United States involvement in intergovernmental organizations dedicated to trade?
- Undecided
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
- Yes
2. Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks?
- No
3. Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country?
- Yes
4. Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security?
- Yes
5. Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security?
- Yes
6. Do you support the creation of a federal identification card system?
- No
7. Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas?
- Yes
8. Should the United States expand its missile defense shield?
- Yes
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
- No Answer
2. Do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman?
- Yes
3. Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines?
- Yes
4. Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos?
- Yes
5. Should the federal government consider race and gender in government contracting decisions?
- Yes
6. Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs?
- No
7. Should the federal government regulate internet gambling?
- Yes
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts that they manage themselves.
- X
2. Ensure the viability of Social Security by increasing the payroll tax.
- No Answer
3. Decrease benefits paid to retirees.
- No Answer
4. Support proportional increases of Social Security benefits based on the cost of living index.
- X
5. Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
- No Answer
6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
- X
2. Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
- X
3. Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
- No Answer
4. Abolish all federal welfare programs.
- No Answer
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- No Answer
Type: bill Chamber: lower
Type: bill Chamber: lower
Type: bill Chamber: lower
Vernon Jones appeared Thursday in Albany, where he won 58.59 percent of votes in a five-way Democratic primary Tuesday for U.S. Senate. "Y'all did good for me," said Jones, the elected CEO of DeKalb County, who received 40 percent of votes in the statewide primary. Jones faces Jim Martin, who received 34 percent of Georgia votes, in a runoff Aug. 5. The winner will oppose Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Moultrie, in the Nov. 4 election. "Southwest Georgia is extremely important to my election. Southwest Georgia is extremely important to Georgia and Georgia's politics," Jones said. He mentioned issues of energy independence, fiscal responsibility and the creation of infrastructure, and was critical of the federal No Child Left Behind laws in 10-minute remarks in front of Albany's marble-columned governmental building. "The leave no child behind' legislation left the states behind, the money behind and the child behind," Jones said. "We need bold leadership in Georgia, and I believe this platform, that's resonated all over Southwest Georgia, is a good conservative message to take Georgia back and make Georgia a blue state again."In metro Atlanta's DeKalb County, where Jones won about 42 percent of 70,000 Democratic votes Tuesday, "we're capturing methane gas off our landfill and turning it into energy," he said. "We're turning trash into cash." Jones said he shared presidential candidate Barack Obama's "vision for a better America," but stopped short of saying he had the Illinois senator's support. "Sen. Obama has made it very clear that he is not endorsing anyone in this primary," Jones said. "But I make it very clear that I support Sen. Obama. "I'm glad he did what John Kerry and Al Gore did not do, and that was write off the South and say we don't need Georgia to win. Obama said something totally different, that was we need Georgia, we can make Georgia a blue state." Encouraging voters to return to the Aug. 5 primary runoff is a "fine tuning" for Jones' Nov. 4 contest with Chambliss, he said. "There's a clear difference," Jones said. Chambliss "voted against health care expansions for young children right here in Albany, right here in Dougherty County, because of his politics with President Bush. I would not have turned down health care insurance for children." Jones thanked Albany Commissioner Tommie Postell, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Health Coordinator Darrell Sabbs and Democratic county chair Constance Burkes. "The difference in him to me is he's using a style of campaigning which is forgotten the door-to-door," said Sabbs, a resident of Sumter County where Jones has visited several times. Jones received about 48 percent of votes in Sumter and 56 percent in Lee County, which had no local Democratic elections. In Worth, he trailed Martin, with only about 31 percent of Democratic votes. Martin announced Thursday that he received endorsements from two of his three former opponents, Dale Cardwell and Rand Knight. Postell said he and Hamp Smith have been working with Jones for several months "to get his name out in Southwest Georgia." Voter turnout of only 38.6 percent in Dougherty Tuesday Postell attributed to "apathy" by voters presented with "a lot of choices" or who believe they already know who will win. "I was really hoping we were going to avoid a runoff," Burkes said.
Topix / OurTown News - Vernon Jones: Your Next GA Senator Vernon Jones attended a Supporter Rally in South Gwinnett County, in the Promised Land Community on Sunday. Over a hundred people didn't let a 25 minute rainstorm stop them from showing their support. Many bikers from a couple of motorcycle clubs and owners of several beautiful antique vehicles came from all around Metro Atlanta to be part of this fund raising event. Mr. Jones' attorney, Dwight Thomas was in charge of the rally. Mr. Dwight L. Thomas is known nationally as a champion legal defender of the people of Georgia. He feels the same way about Mr. Jones commitment to do the same for the people of Georgia too!!! Mr. Thomas said," Its time for a change in the way people think in our government. On the ballot this fall---Your first choice should be for Obama----Your second choice should be for MR. VERNON JONES" Mr. Jones greeted the enthusiastic crowd with his dog next to his side. He acknowledged his great appreciation to his great friend and legal counsel, Mr. Dwight Thomas and his mother Mrs. Louise Thomas. He also gave special thanks to Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Dorethia Livsey, the owners of the Promised Land, for their continuous involvement in the community and the use of this tranquil place called, "The Promised Land",(a 1000 acre plantation in the Civil War that General Sherman left standing). He spoke from the heart as he shared his vision with the excited audience that applauded him as he stated each major issue from his running platform. Mr. Jones said "I was born in NC. I'm country, but really we are all country". He added," My parents with limited education, instilled in their children the importance of a good education. They told us to get an education because they knew with one we could change not only our lives but perhaps, the lives of others". "Today I want your vote so I can help change the lives of the people here in Georgia. No matter how the media tries to portray me. The one thing they have right is that I'm a people person". "No matter if it's in churches, shopping malls, or in the streets, I am always accessible. I want to be your next senator of Georgia". The crowd erupted with cheers and shouts.
LaGrange Daily News - For 'Professor' Vernon Jones, Class is in Session As DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones entered the LaGrange College cafeteria, he beheld the spectacle of several students prancing around with instruments ranging from accordions to drums, oblivious to the presence of a U.S. Senate candidate from Georgia. But rather than shrink away from the spectacle, he waded right on in, to the delight of the political science majors who had heard his speech just minutes ago. It was the perfect metaphor to describe Jones's attempt to reach out to others, no matter how bizarre it may appear in the partisan election days of 2008. One would think that on a Georgia liberal arts campus, a fiery politicized speech to rouse left-leaning college students would be the lesson of the day. But CEO Jones seemed to sense that a small college town in West Georgia would prefer a more moderate line. He focused more on the need to get work done over a hard-core ideology. The speech even had a few kind words for Republicans, a rarity for 2008. He took the time to call his opponent, Senator Saxby Chambliss, a "nice man." "America has caught a cold, and it needs to get well" Jones told the college students, professors and members of the community who came to hear him speak. He cited mismanagement of the war in Iraq, which has disillusioned even supporters of the war. He discussed the poor quality of veterans' health care, citing his own family experience with such issues. As with his foreign policy, Jones adopted a less harsh tone for Republicans on domestic issues. "I'm not here to bash President Bush," Jones said, even noting Bush's likability along with how he sympathizes what the president must go through, given his own executive responsibilities in DeKalb County. "People don't care what party you are with. They just want to know if you can fix the road," Jones continued. As a result, his positions did not seem to differ so much from Republicans. His call for secure borders and legal immigration reforms to change outdated policies was similar to positions adopted by GOP Presidential candidate John McCain. His health care plans sounded more reformist than revolutionary. He emphasized the need for a balanced budget. He refused to support an audience member's call for a ban on nuclear weapons. Only on the issues of education and environment, where he supported a significant boost in scholarships and renewable energy did he sound like a traditional Democrat. Why did Jones position himself as a nonpartisan moderate in his LaGrange College speech? Could it be he felt his audience was a little more conservative? Or could it have come from the decision of defeated Lt. Governor candidate Jim Martin to jump into the race at that time? A variety of polls show Jones and other candidates (Martin, TV reporter Dale Cardwell) between 20-25 points behind Senator Chambliss. Though the rest of the nation may be becoming more liberal these days, Georgia was a lone bastion of support for the GOP in 2006. The party picked up statewide offices, retained others, and nearly KO'ed two Georgia Democrat congressmen. A poor showing in polls does not doom the Democrats at this stage, given that Senator Chambliss (with greater name recognition) never topped 57% in any of them. But in order to prevail in November, Jones, Martin, Cardwell and others must continue to recognize Georgia is not necessarily following national trends. Reaching out to moderates and conservatives is the smart policy, no matter what registration and primary turnout numbers say. The "fixing" speech should continue to overshadow the "fiery" speech for Georgians already growing weary of the harsh tone of politics these days.
