of Arizona. Jones was a member of the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus and the Veterinary Medicine Caucus. Political positions Jones co-sponsored four cannabis bills, including supporting veterans' access to medical cannabis and hemp farming. He voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 due to the anticipated $2 trillion that would be added to the national debt. "I'm all for tax reform, but it must grow the economy, not the debt," he stated. He also voted against it due to concerns that his constituents would pay more taxes. "That is the last thing struggling families need," he stated in wake of the vote. Jones agreed with Michael Mullen and James Mattis that the national debt is the "biggest threat" to national security. Personal life Jones was raised a Southern Baptist, but was a Roman Catholic convert when he died. He married Joe Anne Whitehurst in 1966, and the two had one child, a daughter, Ashley. Illness and death In July 2018, Jones began to miss votes due to illness; in December of that year, the House granted him a leave of absence for the remainder of the session by unanimous consent. As he was temporarily unable to travel, he was sworn in as a member of the 116th Congress from his home in Farmville. In January 2019, he broke his hip. On January 26, 2019, his wife said that he had been admitted to hospice care. Jones died on February 10, 2019, in Greenville, North Carolina, on his 76th birthday. After Jones's funeral, it was revealed that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis two months prior to his death. Members of Congress paid tribute to him in a special session on March 5, 2019. See also List of United States Congress members who died in office References JONES, Walter Beaman, Jr. – Biographical Information External links 1943 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American politicians 20th-century Baptists 21st-century American politicians 21st-century Roman Catholics American former Protestants American libertarians American nationalists Anti-corporate activists Barton College alumni Candidates in the 1992 United States elections Catholic libertarians Catholics from North Carolina Christians from North Carolina Converts to Roman Catholicism from Baptist denominations Deaths from motor neuron disease Hargrave Military Academy alumni Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Members of the United States Congress stripped of committee assignment Monetary reformers Neurological disease deaths in North Carolina Non-interventionism North Carolina Democrats