Blake Johnson

Lowell Blake Johnson (born February 16, 1971)[1] is a farmer from his native Clay County, Arkansas, who is a Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate for District 20, which encompasses Clay, Greene, Lawrence and parts of Randolph and Craighead counties, based in the northeastern portion of his state.[2][3]

Lowell Blake Johnson
Member of the Arkansas Senate
from the 20th district
Assumed office
January 2015
Preceded byRobert F. Thompson
Personal details
Born (1971-02-16) February 16, 1971
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Tricia Rose Johnson
ChildrenChad and Cara Johnson
ParentsLinda J. and Raymond Glen Johnson
ResidenceCorning, Clay County Arkansas, USA
Alma materCorning High School Arkansas State University
OccupationFarmer

Background

Johnson graduated from Corning High School in Corning, Arkansas, and Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science. Since 1995, he has farmed rice and soybeans on family-owned land.[2] Johnson is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. He is affiliated with the Corning Baptist Church and the Gideons International, a Bible-distribution group.[4]

Political life

From 2005 to 2015, Johnson served on the Corning City Council, including a time on the Parks and Recreation Committee from 2006 to 2009.[4] In 2012, he ran in the general election against incumbent Democratic State Senator Robert F. Thompson. He lost by 447 votes; Thompson polled 13,616 (50.8 percent) to Johnson's 13,169 (49.2 percent).[5] In 2014, Johnson reversed the tide; in a stronger Republican year than in 2012, he unseated Thompson, 12,096 votes (53.8 percent) to 10,405 (46.2 percent).[3]

Johnson sits on these Senate committees: (1) Education, (2) Agriculture, Forestry, and Economic Development, (3) Senate Rules, Resolutions, and Memorials, (4) Joint Public Retirement and Social Security Programs, and (5) Legislative Joint Auditing.[6]

In February 2015, Johnson supported House Bill 1228, authored by Republican Bob Ballinger of Carroll County in northwestern Arkansas.[7] The measure sought to prohibit government from imposing a burden on the free exercise of religion.[8] Johnson's colleague, Representative Camille Bennett, a Democrat from Lonoke, called for a reworking of the legislation[9] on the theory that the Ballinger bill would establish a "type of religious litmus test" which could impact nearly any law under consideration by the legislature.[7] The legislation was subsequently passed by a large margin in the House and signed into law in revised form, SB 975, by Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson.[10]

That same month, Johnson joined the large Senate majority, with only seven dissenters, which reduced payments of unemployment compensation, another measure signed into law by Governor Hutchinson.[11]

gollark: Inasmuch as you can connect up stupidly big batteries to it and/or just a fusion reactor.
gollark: I don't think there's a real limit.
gollark: Well, there is, in the form of the GTech Integrated Shield Defense System™.
gollark: <@465216754684002305> I don't know if I explained it to you, but there are ways through RFT force fields.
gollark: TC6, 6.1, potatOS Tau, whatever.

References
  1. "Lowell Blake Johnson". intelius. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  2. "Johnson plans bid for Senate". Lawrence County, Arkansas: The Times-Dispatch. March 7, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  3. "Blake Johnson". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  4. "Blake Johnson's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  5. "District 20". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  6. "Blake Johnson". arkleg.state.ar.us. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  7. "Opponents of Religious Freedom Bill Point Out Law Differences, Possible Unintended Consequences". Little Rock, Arkansas: Fox Channel 16. April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  8. "HB 1228". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  9. "Indiana, Arkansas try to stem religious objections uproar". Atlantic Broadband. April 3, 2015. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  10. "Gov. Hutchinson signs revised religious freedom bill; HB 1228 recalled". Little Rock: KTHV-TV. April 2, 2015. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  11. "Blake Johnson's Voting Records". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
Preceded by
Robert F. Thompson		 Arkansas State Senator for
District 20 (Clay, Greene, Lawrence, Randolph, and Craighead counties)

Lowell Blake Johnson
2015–

Succeeded by
Incumbent


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