Protecting Virginians: Attorney General Jones Connects with Virginians During Summer Tour Across the Commonwealth

Protecting Virginians: Attorney General Jones Connects with Virginians During Summer Tour Across the Commonwealth

VIDEO: Attorney General Jones Connects with Virginians on 10-Day, 35-stop 1,700 Mile Protecting Virginia Tour

RICHMOND, Va. – Over ten days, 35 stops, and more than 1,700 miles, Attorney General Jay Jones traveled across Virginia to hear directly from people about the everyday challenges keeping them up at night and discuss how the Office of the Attorney General can help deliver solutions. The tour included stops in Southside and Southwest Virginia, the Shenandoah and Roanoke Valleys, Central and Northern Virginia, the Northern Neck, the Peninsula, and South Hampton Roads, among other areas of the Commonwealth. These convenings brought Attorney General Jones together with local officials, law enforcement, veterans, farmers, workers, health care providers, business owners, and civic leaders. While the concerns differed from region to region, Virginians’ priorities were consistent: lowering costs, strengthening public safety, protecting their rights, and standing up for the Commonwealth when federal actions threaten families and localities.

“This office belongs to the people of our Commonwealth and that means connecting with Virginians where they are; visiting downtown corridors, meeting in community spaces, riding along with law enforcement, going to county fairs, walking through pastures alongside local farmers, and joining partners in outreach programs,” said Attorney General Jay Jones. “Listening to Virginians who come face to face with our systems every day, who know the needs of their neighbors because it’s their home, this is where effective solutions are born. My Office will always listen to the people we serve, funnel the resources we have to lend a hand where needed, and develop new strategies to take on the issues that matter most to Virginians.”

 

WVTF: AG Jones visits Henrico as vape listening tour continues

Attorney General Jay Jones recently announced a new Regulated Products Enforcement Unit to help combat illegal vape sales in Virginia. And this week, he stopped in Henrico County to hear what more his office and elected officials could do to address youth vaping.

The roundtable at the Varina Area Library included Henrico police, educators, prosecutors and elected officials. As a Senator and high school civics teacher, Schuyler VanValkenburg fit into two of those categories.

 

The Farmville Herald: Jones visits Moton Museum, local educators

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones stopped in Prince Edward County Thursday, Aug. 6, making several visits and attending an educational roundtable discussion. Jones visited the Robert Russa Moton Museum in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the student-led walkout that led to the Brown v. Board of Education ruling to desegregate public schools. Educators from around the region then joined Jones for a conversation on education focused on identifying strengths, challenges and opportunities. Jones then made stops in Mecklenburg and Southampton counties as part of the trip.

 

InsideNoVa: Attorney General Jones rips tariffs, Trump policies at Todos Market visit in Woodbridge

Todos Market in Woodbridge welcomed a special visitor Friday, as state Attorney General Jay Jones made the trip up from Richmond to talk about the issues critical to grocers and other similar businesses.

Jones visited the 16593 River Ridge Blvd. location of Todos Market, the newer of the two storefronts. President and CEO Carlos Castro has owned and operated the River Ridge location, which he calls more “international,” for just four years – the other site at 13905 Jefferson Davis Hwy. has been open for 36.

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After the two men walked around the supermarket, Jones fielded questions from the media. Responding to a question from InsideNoVa, Jones said the nation is in a “cost crisis.”

“That's driven in large part by the policies that are coming from Washington,” Jones said, “the tariffs that have continued to push prices up and put pressure on families -- and even today, hearing the stories from folks who are here about how it's made it harder for them to have their business moving and operating.”

[...]

Jones said the state is attempting to alleviate the effects of the tariffs via litigation.

“That's why we sued to prevent the tariffs, which were declared illegal by the Supreme Court of the United States,” Jones said. “We know that these tariffs have cost families an average of about $1,700 per person – that's real money for real people.”

Jones said as things continue to change in Washington, his office will continue to “hold [Trump] accountable.”

 

WDBJ7: Virginia Attorney General holds public safety roundtable in Roanoke

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones met Monday with local law enforcement and community leaders in Roanoke to discuss the city’s progress on reducing gun violence and the need for expanded mental health and substance abuse treatment funding.

Roanoke recorded 31 shooting deaths in 2023, its most violent year on record. That number dropped to 10 in 2024 and nine last year. Eight people have been killed so far this year. Overall violent crime remains down compared to last year.

[...]

Jones said the community commitment on display at the roundtable was encouraging and that elements of Roanoke’s approach could be applied elsewhere.

“What works here in Roanoke may not work elsewhere, but there are pieces of this puzzle that we can take and maybe scale in other communities that are experiencing issues with gun violence as well,” Jones said.

[...]

Jones said mental health and substance abuse issues are a primary driver of violent crime statewide and that his office will continue to push the General Assembly for increased funding.

“We hear about substance abuse and mental health abuse constantly. I think it is a huge driver of violent crime here in this Commonwealth. And so, if we can find some solutions to help alleviate those issues that people are facing in their communities, that’s going to have some real results on the back end,” Jones said.

Jones said his office provides grant funding to programs across the state and that advocating for localities with state legislators is a core part of his role.

“Part of my job is being an advocate for these localities, for programs that work, with our legislators in Richmond who are crafting the budget each and every year,” Jones said. “I do applaud the folks who are here on the ground who are doing everything they can to get every single dollar in so that they can put it right back into their communities and see results.”

 

WSET: AG Jay Jones meets Roanoke public safety officials, addresses violent crime decrease

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones met with Roanoke-area public safety officials Monday to discuss efforts to prevent crime and reduce gun violence, praising the city's approach of building stronger partnerships with the community.

According to the Roanoke Police Department, violent crime is down 13% since January, while homicides are down 40% compared with 2025.

[...]

"I want to make sure that every law enforcement officer has the tools in their toolkit to do their job. This is also a community-based issue. So what you're seeing is active community members who are voicing their concerns, and I hope that the local folks are listening, I hope the state folks are listening, but my job is to enforce the law and use every tool in my toolbox, and I will do that, and I know local law enforcement will do that," Jones said.

 

The Roanoke Times: Why Virginia’s attorney general visited Roanoke and praised police

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones made stops in the Roanoke and New River valleys Monday as part of his statewide listening tour on issues of crime and public safety.

During a discussion with law enforcement agencies, providers of substance abuse and mental health treatment, government officials, educators and community groups, Jones said he was interested in hearing how his office can support what’s happening on the ground.

“You all are the experts,” he told a panel of 12 that participated in the roundtable discussion. “You guys are the ones doing this every single day. My office just wants to be there to provide the resources and a place for collaboration and partnership.”

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Jones praised the way volunteers, professionals and police are all working together and sharing information with each other.

“Here, the right hand knows what the left hand is doing,” the attorney general said. “That is not happening everywhere,” he said of his visits to other localities as part of a two-week listening tour across the state.

“What works here in Roanoke may not work elsewhere,” he said, “but there are pieces of the puzzle that we can take and share with other communities that are experiencing issues of gun violence as well.”

After the public safety roundtable, Jones toured the violent injury recovery and support program at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and then visited Carilion’s community hospital in Giles County.

He ended the day with a stop at the Christiansburg Institute, which served as the primary educator of the New River Valley's Black residents until desegregation took effect in the 1960s.

 

Williamsburg Yorktown Daily: Attorney General Jay Jones tours American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

Attorney General Jay Jones visited the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown on Wednesday to tour its exhibits and the “Give Me Liberty: Virginia and the Forging of a Nation” exhibition.

The exhibition, which continues through Jan. 31, 2027, commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and highlights Virginia’s leading role in the American Revolution. It includes a rare 1833 printing of the Declaration of Independence.

[...]

“I think this exhibit – this place, really – really does highlight Virginia’s place in that story and in our journey,” Jones said. “I think coming here will certainly highlight the importance of Yorktown, the importance of how we continue to fight and protect and defend the ideals of this nation.”

The theme resurfaced when Jones was asked about his office’s recent challenges to the Trump administration.

On July 27, Jones said he was joining a lawsuit challenging new Trump administration grant conditions that would require states to provide voter lists to the Department of Homeland Security, assist with immigration enforcement, transition to paper ballots and verify the citizenship of voters and election workers. States that refuse could lose at least 20% of their counterterrorism and Homeland Security grant funding.

Jones said the commonwealth has lost an “innumerable” number of millions of dollars in federal funding since Trump took office in January 2025.

“Since I took over, we have been fighting this administration, fighting against the overreach, protecting people’s pocketbooks here,” Jones said. “I look forward to working with the administration if there’s something that’s in the best interest of Virginia, but right now, they keep trying to take things from us that we are owed, and we’re gonna fight to protect that every single day.”

 

The Dogwood: Virginia attorney general launches unit to protect workers from wage theft, abuse

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones announced on Friday the creation of a new worker protection unit within his office.

Speaking in Williamsburg at the Virginia AFL-CIO’s annual convention, Jones said this new civil enforcement team would hold employers accountable when they violate state labor laws.

“This is an enforcement operation that we are putting half a million dollars behind, hiring a unit manager, an assistant attorney general and an investigator,” Jones said. “And their mission is simple: to protect people on the job, to enforce Virginia law, and to hold bad actors accountable.”

Jones said the new unit would go after cases of wage theft, employee misclassification, and worker abuse. The unit will review records, interview witnesses, and conduct inspections. If it finds wrongdoing, the unit will seek back pay, civil penalties, and injunctions. Jones said his office plans to publish a report on the unit’s work next year.

Jones said the idea for a worker protection unit came from the labor community.

“You showed us how complaints could bounce from office to office to office while someone was still waiting for help,” Jones said. “You told us about companies counting on no one enforcing the fact that they were cheating their people.”

 

Richmond Times Dispatch: AG Jones sets new wage theft enforcement push

Virginia’s top law officer is launching a dedicated enforcement team focused on employers’ unfair and illegal treatment of workers.

The new Worker Protection Unit, the first of its kind in Virginia, will take on wage theft — not paying employees overtime and paying less than the state minimum wage, Attorney General Jay Jones told the Virginia AFL-CIO convention in Williamsburg on Friday.

Also on the new unit's agenda is misclassification of employees, improperly labeling workers as independent contractors in order to dodge state and federal fair wages laws, Jones said.

The unit will also enforce laws banning harassment or retaliation against employees.

“So to the person whose paycheck has been shorted, we are coming with lawyers and investigators,” Jones said.

“To the employee deliberately mislabeled as an independent contractor so a company can dodge its responsibilities, we will follow the paper trail. To anyone threatened for speaking up, this office will have your back. And to any business that thinks cheating people is just another way to improve the bottom line: the cost of breaking Virginia law is about to go up,” he said.

[...]

“You showed us how complaints could bounce from office to office while someone waited for help,” Jones told the AFL-CIO

“You told us about companies counting on people being too scared, too busy, or too broke to challenge them,” Jones said. “You asked for results. Now we have to produce them.”

 

WTVR: Virginia AG creates worker protection unit to investigate wage theft, misclassification

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones has created a new unit in his office dedicated to worker protection.

The unit will work in tandem with the Department of Labor and Industry to investigate complaints made by workers on issues like wage theft, retaliation, and employee misclassification.

In its annual report last year, the Department of Labor and Industry said it received over 1,600 complaints about unpaid wages — a 64% increase — and recovered over $645,000 for workers.

"We want to make sure that workers across Virginia are not being shorted on their paychecks, that they are not being misclassified, that the conditions that they're working in are safe, and that is exactly what this group will do to finally have some teeth to go after bad actors here in this Commonwealth," Jones said.

 

WRIC and WAVY: AG Jones creates Worker Protection Unit in AG’s office

There’s a new unit in the Office of the Attorney General.

Attorney General Jay Jones announced on Friday the creation of a Worker Protection Unit, which Jones said will put the voices of working people first.

“It’s really just a delivering, you know, on a promise that I made to people last year. We’re gonna fight to vindicate their rights, to combat wage theft, worker misclassification, to make sure that workplaces are safe and to make sure that employers are playing by the rules,” Jones told 8News.

The unit will be tasked with investigating potential violations of labor laws like wage theft, employee misclassification and more.

[...]

“If it’s something that we can vindicate on our own, we’re gonna do that, whether it be, it be, securing back pay or, you know, holding an employer accountable, and if there are, you know, criminal charges, we will work with local law enforcement to make sure that that path is pursued as well,” Jones said.

 

29News, WDBJ7, WVVA, and WHSV: Attorney General Jay Jones announces Worker Protection Unit for labor law enforcement

Virginia workers will soon have a dedicated legal team in their corner. Attorney General Jay Jones announced Thursday, August 13, the launch of the Worker Protection Unit, a new civil enforcement arm of his office targeting employers who violate state labor laws.

Jones unveiled the unit before members of the Virginia AFL-CIO at the organization’s 44th Constitutional Convention.

The new unit brings back a labor enforcement effort that was discontinued under former Attorney General Jason Miyares. It will sit inside the Office of Civil Rights within the Public Advocacy Division, giving it authority to investigate complaints, pursue civil litigation, and work alongside state and federal partners.

[...]

Jones framed the effort as both a labor issue and an economic one, tying it to financial pressures facing all Virginia families.

“This issue isn’t partisan. It is about putting people first and it’s about putting money back into everyone’s pockets,” Jones said. “The tariffs have impacted everybody. Not just Democrats, not just Republicans, or Independents. No matter who you are or where you are, these policies are impacting your bottom line. And, this is just an extension of our fight to keep those resources here in Virginia.”

 

WSLS: Attorney General Jay Jones announces creation of Worker Protection Unit to protect workers and promote fair competition

During his speech at the 44th Constitutional Convention of the Virginia AFL-CIO, Attorney General Jay Jones announced the creation of the AG’s new Worker Protection Unit.

According to officials, the dedicated civil enforcement team will protect Virginia workers, hold accountable employers who violate labor laws, and promote fair competition for employers that play by the rules.

 

Virginia Mercury: Hampton Roads tenants describe landlord’s abuse, retaliation after landmark fair housing settlement

The multimillion dollar settlement is the largest fair housing case payout to victims in the state’s history, Jones said at the roundtable on Wednesday.

Whether a tenant wins or loses an eviction proceeding, such records can make it challenging for people to have rental applications accepted elsewhere.

A provision of the settlement requires eviction filings against Merryman’s former residents be scrubbed. That may allow Patterson to finally be eligible for a new apartment or rental home, she said.

[...]

Jones’ office will work to connect with others who’ve been harmed by Merryman who have yet to be identified.

Jones framed the case as an example of law and order defending fair housing rights.

“I know that you’ve been through a lot,” Jones told the women. “But I hope what you can take away from today is this idea that you did win and you have set an example for people all across Virginia.”

 

Published on: August 21, 2026

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