Biography of

SENATOR BOB JOHNSON
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE

ARKANSAS STATE SENATE

Senator Bob Johnson President Pro Tempore

Senator Bob Johnson of Bigelow serves as state senator for District 18, which is composed of Conway, Perry, and Van Buren counties and parts of Cleburne, Faulkner, Pope and Saline and counties.  He is the President Pro Tempore-Elect of the Arkansas Senate for the 87th General Assembly.  The 87th General Assembly will convene on January 12, 2009.

During the 87th General Assembly he will serve on the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee and on the Transportation, Technology & Legislative Affairs Committee. Also, Johnson will be a member of the Joint Budget Committee, the Legislative Council and the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee.

On national issues, Senator Johnson works with legislators from other states as a member of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). He serves on the NCSL Labor and Economic Development Standing Committee and in past years he has served on its Federal Budget and Taxation Committee, its Legislative Effectiveness Committee and its Financial Services Committee. 

Senator Johnson came to the Senate with a wealth of legislative experience. 
He was Speaker of the House for the 82nd Arkansas General Assembly while serving his third term as State Representative for Perry, Conway, and Pope counties.  He was 35, at the time the youngest Speaker of the House in Arkansas history. Johnson is one of only a handful of Arkansas elected officials who has been elected Speaker of the House as well as President Pro Tem of the Senate.

In 2000, Johnson was elected to the Senate, succeeding his friend and colleague, Senator Allen Gordon of Morrilton.

His legislative experience includes serving as Vice Chairman of Senate Efficiency, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Revenue and Taxation and Vice Chairman of Legislative Printing Requirements and Specifications. He has served on the Senate Committee Insurance and Commerce, the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development. He has served on these Joint Committees: Advanced Communications and Information Technology, the Legislative Council, Joint Budget, Joint Performance Review, Energy, Educational Facilities and the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee.

Johnson and his two brothers are partners in family businesses, including a construction firm. A native of Perry County, Senator Johnson grew up in Bigelow and graduated from Bigelow High School. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville and Little Rock campuses.

Senator Johnson and his wife Tracie live in Bigelow.  They have three children.

Before his election to the General Assembly in 1994, he worked for five years as a staff member for U.S. Congressman Ray Thornton.

In 1999, Senator Johnson was named one of the state’s most prominent people under age 40 in Arkansas Business’ 1999 “Forty Under Forty” report.  The same year, he was selected by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper as one of the Top 10 legislators of the 82nd General Assembly.  In 2003, he was selected again as one of the Top 10 for the 84th General Assembly. 

His legislative achievements include tort reform, which was approved in Arkansas during the 84th General Assembly.  Senator Johnson was lead sponsor for Act 649 of 2005, known as the Civil Justice Reform Act.

Act 649 was supported by several entities including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).  Until then, Arkansas was one of three states that had not enacted any type of tort reform.  Act 649 has helped improve the business climate in Arkansas and protect access to health care for all Arkansans.

Senator Johnson has been commended for his leadership by several organizations. He received the Statesmanship Award from the Arkansas Hospital Association for his work on healthcare issues and as lead sponsor for The Civil Justice Reform Act of 2005. He was also awarded the National Federation of Independent Business's Guardian of Small Business Award for his outstanding voting record and leadership on behalf of small-business owners during the 84th General Assembly. 

Apart from his work in the legislature Johnson has been active with the Arkansas Advisory Council of Winrock International, and has served on the executive board of the Quapaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.