>> If they damage property.

Well, he is one of the youngest legislators in the General Assembly, Republican State Representative Payton Griffey lives and works in his native Bulloch County serving the 26th district in Frankfort.

Laura Rogers introduces us to the attorney and lawmaker in our series highlighting that 2025. freshman class of the Kentucky General Assembly.

♪ ♪ >> It's a lot sooner than I thought I would be in politics state Representative Payne Griffey was 27 years old when he began his work in the Kentucky General Assembly last year following a special election.

And I was able to to part of that great budget discussion and then re-elected in November to a full two-year term.

This session I've been able to take time and and really learn.

I think process a lot better.

I've been able to see how things work in Frankfort, how bills or even drafted and filed Griffey whose parents are politically active became further interested in a potential run for office in 2020.

The real jumpstart into politics for me was working for Attorney General Cameron in law school.

>> Today he considers the former attorney general, a friend and mentor.

That was just a very eye-opening, great experience for me that really, in my opinion, I saw how a public servant really should operate and should act politically among griffey's priorities, eliminating the state income tax in a, quote, smart, safe way.

We're going to be a competitive market here in Kentucky.

We're going to have to do that.

Eventually.

We see our friends in Tennessee.

>> In Texas have done that and they are getting businesses there.

>> Knowledge is that will require finding other sources of revenue and spending cuts.

>> Where places that we can cut to shrink the size of government, make your tax dollars work better for you and then KET more money in the pockets of those that are paying taxes.

As a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, he's also passionate about military and veterans affairs which informs policymaking.

It's a unique perspective, especially when I've got Fort Knox in the district to really be able to understand what those folks might need or >> what issues are important that the House Bill, 113 is one of the 4 bills is filed.

It would exempt military members from that motor vehicle usage tax while on active duty.

We have 2 great veteran and military populations here in the state, both in for Campbell and Fort Knox, which is in my district, Griffey travels to Fort Knox Monthly for the U.S. Army Reserve.

His law firm is in Shepherdsville and he lives and Mount Washington.

So I really touch every area in my district, at least once a month.

And so I think that's given me a really unique perspective of the 45 to 50,000 people that I represent.

Greg says Bullet County is seeing rapid growth as it sits between 2 other highly populated areas of Jefferson and Hardin counties were closing in on 100,000 people in this county.

We absolutely need better infrastructure as we have people that want to stay here.

They want to move here and live here.

>> But also as we see in places like Shepherdsville that are growing their downtown area, they want to work here.

Not yet 30 Griffey also represents a younger generation he has created and advises chapters of the young Republicans.

Lot of us are trying to start families, buy our first home.

>> Starting our full time careers may be figuring out what we really want to be doing with our lives.

And so that's important perspective, I think, to bring to Frankfort, Griffey says he feels of this legislative session has been productive and he's looking forward to more work being done with 30 day session is not a lot of time, but we have taken very seriously.

I think both the House and Senate take their jobs very seriously and to get good legislation across the finish line.

I think that's what you'll see in the next couple weeks for Kentucky