BioSenator Blake Johnson of Corning represents District 21, which includes all of Clay,
Greene and Randolph Counties and the northeast part of Lawrence County. He was
elected to the Arkansas Senate in 2014 and took the oath of office on the first day of
the 2015 legislative session.
Senate Johnson is chair of the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee. He is a
member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Joint Energy Committee, the Senate
Efficiency Committee, the Joint Budget Committee and the Arkansas Legislative
Council. During the 95th General Assembly Senate Johnson is serving his second term
as the Majority Leader .
In the 94th General Assembly, Senator Johnson sponsored legislation to consolidate
agriculture boards and commissions. He also sponsored legislation that dealt with the
filing date to the Tax Appeals Commission and to amend the appointment procedure
for the Tax Appeals Commission.
During the 2021 regular session Senator Johnson sponsored legislation to mandate
inspections of abortion facilities, to create an Independent Tax Appeals Commission
and to limit drag racing on a public highway. He was the Senate sponsor of legislation
to cut in half the annual registration fee on hybrid vehicles.
In past sessions, Senator Johnson sponsored legislation which requires welfare
recipients to 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. The law 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 has sponsored bills to create options for issuing a standard teaching
license for nontraditional licensure programs, to limit the number of professional
development days required for teachers and to strengthen background checks for
public school teachers and employees.
Senator Johnson is a farmer. Before his election to the Senate, he had served as an
alderman in Corning. He was born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and graduated from
Arkansas State University. He and his wife, Tricia, have a son and a daughter. Senator
Johnson and his wife are members of the First Baptist Church of Corning.
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