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.

Weekend brief: The fight over affordable housing and more

Here at Team Johnson, we’re strong advocates for infrastructure.

That goes beyond just physical infrastructure — roads & bridges, housing, the grid, and the like — though we’ve also been at the forefront of those efforts. It also means investing in intangible infrastructure: social infrastructure like education and healthcare that ensures accessibility and governance infrastructure that promotes greater responsiveness from state agencies.

Last week, Senator Johnson filed a series of bills relating to critical areas of infrastructure designed to address the needs of our rapidly growing state. Before diving into the details of the new bills, let’s take a look at some pressing issues Senator Johnson has recently addressed in the news.

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What unites accessible healthcare, affordable housing, and good governance? Infrastructure.

As Senator Johnson told the Texas Metro News last week: 

“Texas is growing and changing rapidly, in ways both predictable and unpredictable. New growth requires new investment, and change requires new strategies and evolving priorities. The bills I filed today propose new investment in fundamental systems and shift priorities towards those that will allow us to meet the demands and avail of the opportunities of that growth and change.”

That’s infrastructure, and it’s what every Texas legislator should be focused on.

Effective state leaders like Nathan are now the last line of defense we Texans have when it comes to fighting for common-sense policy, and your support is critical.

To read a brief summary about each of the infrastructure bills Senator Johnson filed last week, click here for the full report by the Texas Metro News team.