Senator Nathan Johnson Sworn in for Third Term

News Release
January 14, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SENATOR NATHAN JOHNSON SWORN IN FOR THIRD TERM,
ISSUES LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR 89TH SESSION

AUSTIN, Texas – Senator Nathan Johnson was sworn in today as a member of the Texas State Senate for the 89th Legislative Session, his fourth session to represent Texas Senate District 16.

Photo Credit: Lauren Cobb

Senator Johnson issued a statement addressing the critical issues facing Texas, emphasizing the importance of social and physical infrastructure. "From the roads we travel to the schools where our kids grow and learn to the healthcare systems we rely upon, the Legislature should give priority this session to infrastructure – social and physical. That’s the only way we can promise our children and future generations that they will have the opportunity to live as well as we have been so fortunate to live. And if we fail to act, they will bear the burden of our failure. What will people thank us for in 30 years? That should be the question on our minds.” 

Senator Johnson's legislative priorities for the session include: 

• Workforce Housing: With Senate Bill 234, Johnson aims to alleviate the state's housing crisis by incentivizing the construction of workforce housing. If enacted, it will make housing available near where people work, and decrease the upward market pressure on housing costs.  

• Water and Energy Systems: The Senator continues his work on developing water supply and management systems, and on electrical power: generation, transmission, storage, conservation, market innovation, and overall grid resiliency and security. 

• Public Education: Senate Bill 233 seeks to increase the basic student allotment, tie it to inflation, and transition to an enrollment-based funding model, ensuring the state's schools are equipped to meet the challenges of tomorrow. 

• Health and Healthcare Access: Through Senate Bills 232 and 236, Johnson continues to advocate bipartisan avenues for Medicaid expansion, and (separately) to integrate non-medical drivers of health – nutrition, transportation, and housing – into healthcare systems to improve outcomes and reduce costs. 

 For updates on Senator Johnson's legislative initiatives and developments throughout the 89th Legislative Session, see our weekly emails, visit NathanforTexas.com, and follow @NathanForTexas on social media. 

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About Senator Nathan Johnson: Senator Nathan Johnson was re-elected in 2024 to serve a third term in the Texas Senate. He represents almost a million Dallas County residents in the growing and rapidly diversifying Senate District 16. With eight years of legislative experience, Senator Johnson serves on several key Senate committees, including Business & Commerce, Jurisprudence (Vice-Chair), Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs, and Administration.

Nathan Johnson has always protected the right to choose. And he always will.

After Abbott and the extremists passed their radical abortion ban in Texas, I went to work for you in the Texas Senate to protect your right to choose.

1) I filed Senate Bill 78 to legalize medication abortion in Texas so that Texas women would have access to mifepristone and misoprostol. These FDA-approved medications are a safe way to abort a pregnancy without a clinical procedure. I was the only legislator in Texas to introduce legislation on this issue.

2) I filed Senate Bill 79 to nullify a 1925 Texas law that allows for the prosecution of women who get an abortion and those who help them. This was part of my effort to get rid of pre-Roe v. Wade statutes that prohibit abortion.

3) I filed Senate Bill 291 to protect from prosecution anyone who helps a woman travel out of state to obtain an abortion.

4) And when cities and counties around Texas started passing their abortion travel bans, I filed Senate Bill 45 to block them. These ordinances would deputize every Texan to sue anyone who helps
a woman travel through town on their way out of state to receive abortion medical care. Again, I was the only legislator in Texas to author legislation like this.

My record on reproductive and abortion rights stands in stark contrast to that of my opponent. Victoria Neave Criado stood with Republicans and supported legislation that Planned Parenthood opposed, and she voted for a bill that targeted abortion doctors.1 She has never filed a bill to protect or restore abortion rights—ever.

I will always support and defend reproductive freedom in Texas. What the extremists have done is cruel and dangerous, and it is inconsistent with American notions of freedom, privacy, and autonomy. That’s why I’m asking for your vote on March 5. With your support at the ballot box, I’ll go back to Austin to keep this fight going until we reclaim reproductive rights for Texas women.