| Senator Blake Johnson of Corning represents District 20, which
includes Clay County and parts of Craighead, Greene, Lawrence and
Randolph Counties.
He was elected to the Arkansas Senate in 2014 and took the oath of
office on the first day of the 2015 legislative session.
Before his election to the Senate, he had served as an alderman in
Corning.
Senator Johnson is chairman of the Senate Committee on
Transportation, Technology and Legislative Affairs. He is a member of
the Senate Committee on Revenue and Taxation, the Joint Committee
on Public Retirement and Social Security Systems, the Joint Budget
Committee and the Legislative Council.
Senator Johnson sponsored legislation setting up a pilot program under
which welfare recipients undergo testing for illegal drugs, in order to
qualify for benefits.
He sponsored a change in how the wealth index is calculated for school
facilities funding. He was the Senate sponsor of legislation creating the
Arkansas Future Grant Program.
Senator Johnson has sponsored "revolving door" legislation that
requires legislators to wait at least two years after their retirement
from the General Assembly before registering as a lobbyist. It also
prohibits former legislators from working at an educational cooperative
or local area agency on aging, until two years after they leave the
legislature.
He has co-sponsored major tax relief legislation, pro-life laws and
legislation that reduces the fees for concealed carry permits.
Senator Johnson is a farmer. He was born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri and
graduated from Arkansas State University. He and his wife, Tricia, have
a son and a daughter. They are members of the First Baptist Church of
Corning. |