At 26 years old.

He's the youngest lawmaker in the state legislature.

His interest in politics began before he was even old enough to vote.

JT Payne is an assistant principal at Henderson County High School in Western Kentucky.

Our Laura Rogers paid him a visit there as we continue getting to know the 2025 freshman class of the Kentucky General Assembly.

♪ ♪ >> I was born in Henderson County Andrade, Kentuckyian, now live within the city of Henderson.

>> City and county that JT pay now represents in the Kentucky General Assembly after the district 11 seat opened last year.

I was really overwhelmed at the amount of people that reached out to me and said we think you should do this.

We've got kind of open doors at the right time.

Payne has long been interested in politics and served as student body president at Murray State University had been involved in different campaigns.

And I intern for Congressman calmer and college and I really enjoyed that experience.

She studied agricultural education at Murray State and would go on to teach Henderson County High School.

It served as adviser at the greenhouse where we spent some of our conversation by grandparents operate at a farm.

And I grew up in a rural area of the county this year.

He was promoted to principal of the career and Technical Education unit Anderson County High School actually has the largest CTE unit under one roof in the state of Kentucky.

>> Pain is passionate about helping young people prepare for the workforce.

This legislative session, he filed House Bill 193 pertaining to dual credit scholarships.

We actually in Kentucky have one of the most robust dual credit scholarship programs.

My bill was to clean up some of the statutory language to make the program more paying calls, managing his education career with his work as a state lawmaker, a, quote, balancing act that's worth it.

When you look at any role community and then we say a lot of similarities between the far West and the Far East.

As you know, we have to fight for resources for our area, be on the Golden Triangle.

So I think it's important to have legislators that understand the importance.

>> Fighting for rule Kentucky, whether that be on the east or the West and to bring those resources back com.

>> As an educator, he wants to continue to see stability in the state retirement system and to ease the regulatory burden on teachers.

Think a priority for the legislature should be to stand out of the way.

Right?

We now that teachers are experts.

We know that our administrator is are the experts in the field and they're going to do what's best for students.

Pain also wants to see more productive dialogue focused on policy over party.

I have friends, colleagues that are Democrats and I'm a conservative and that's the way that it should And >> and that's not what's necessarily marketed on the news.

And that's not what he's necessarily politically popular.

But I still view terms like collaboration and compromise.

Have you those things is as positive terms.

And that's what I taught my students in the classroom.

And then that's what I'm going to lift back.

>> Payne says he's seen that collaboration and compromise firsthand and city and county government in his own community.

>> We have a lot of mixed representation as far as party goals, but they all work together hand in hand.

And we've seen a lot of growth as you drive around our area.

You see new businesses use a new housing development.

You say a lot of people being engaged in the culture of our community and it's that bipartisan collaboration that I live and that I thrive.

And and that I feel like Henderson has adopted as a member of Gen Z, he describes what he believes to be his generation's priorities.

And they really don't sound that different from that of many others.

Really.

Our generation wants to see.

>> People's lives improved.

All right.

We want to say the world be an easier place to succeed.

>> We want to say lower prices.

We want to see more friendly tax policy.

>> And pain hopes to be a voice for those priorities.

Frankfort, Kentucky Edition,