John D. Johnson

• S.B. 295 Intellectual Diversity in Education and Government · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Explains that an amendment about clubs in grade schools was removed and that a provision requiring universities to record campus debates was taken out, and says he thinks the bill is better now.

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  Yes. There we, we changed some, some things with respect to clubs. There was one amendment that they made and I asked them to take it off and so they reconsidered the, the vote and then, and then voted on it again. So that amendment was no longer in there, had to do with clubs in, in grade schools, which I didn't really like that Well, but so, but that one's taken out of it. Uh, the universities did ask us to, to modify some of the provisions on, uh, having debates on campus. And, uh, there was a provision in there that said they had to record it. We took that out and, uh, so I, I, I think …

  ▶ Watch at 10:31

• S.B. 34 Public Education Revisions · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Says a drafting error in how the Apex Center was renamed and expanded needs to be cleaned up in the bill.

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  Yeah. One, one of the biggest problems is there, there was a drafting error and the way they renamed the Apex Center and the expansion of that. So, uh, that I, it, it really needs to be cleaned up.

  ▶ Watch at 19:37

• H.B. 194 Utah State Board of Education Ethics Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Presents H.B. 194, which creates an ethics code, conflict of interest disclosures, a complaint process, and an independent ethics commission for the Utah State Board of Education.

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  Thank you Mr. President. Uh, colleagues HP 1 94 establishes a clear and transparent ethics framework for members of the Utah State Board of Education. The state board holds constitutional authority over the general supervision of public education in Utah. With that authority comes a responsibility to maintain public trust, yet unlike many other public bodies in our state, there is currently no comprehensive statutory process for handling ethics complaints against board members. This bill fills that gap. HP 1 94 creates a code of official conduct, requires conflict of interest disclosures, and establishes a structured complaint process that includes investigation, evidentiary hearings, and due process protections. It also creates an independent ethics commission composed of former judges, former board …

  ▶ Watch at 43:57

• H.B. 426 Online Education Service Provider Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Presents H.B. 426, saying it adds guardrails for online education programs run by local education agencies, including licensed teachers of record, documented pacing and proctored assessments, student-to-teacher ratios, and state board waivers for early mastery.

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  as learning models evolve. More schools are offering competency based and self-paced programs where students demonstrate mastery rather than simply logging seat. Time done well. These pro programs are powerful, allowing advanced students to move faster, struggling students to get targeted support and families to access flexible environments. But flexibility must come with accountability. The bill clarifies that when a local education agency operates one of these programs, the district remains responsible for student progress. It establishes four common sense guardrails, a licensed teacher of record for every student documented pacing and proctored assessments, reasonable student to teacher ratios and preserve proficiency flexibility through state board waivers for early mastery. This bill does not pro, pro prohibit online learning or …

  ▶ Watch at 2:02:11

• H.B. 357 Amendments to Motor Vehicle Data Privacy · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Opposes the bill, saying vehicle data is spread across many systems so a single dashboard deletion is impractical, and that the bill would write vehicle software design into statute.

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  I rise in opposition to HB 3 57. Let me begin with a reminder of how dramatically cars have changed. Many of us remember vehicles from before the OBT two diagnostic systems existed. If the car made a strange noise, you open the hood, listen carefully. And if you were lucky, someone nearby had a wrench and a theory. Modern vehicles are not like that anymore. Today's cars are essentially distributed computer networks on wheels. They contain dozens of processors, sensors, safety systems and communication platforms constantly exchanging data in order to operate safely. Those systems monitor braking, engine performance, collision avoidance, software updates, navigation, and reliable diagnostics. Now here is where the bill runs into trouble. The bill requires …

  ▶ Watch at 2:19:07

• H.B. 260 Unauthorized Practice of Law Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Says the bill appears to be turf protection and notes that the practice of law is already regulated by the Utah Supreme Court.

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  Okay. So it's, it's, this sounds a little bit like turf protection. I just want, I I just wonder about that. So by definition, the practice of law is governed by, in our constitution, by the Utah Supreme Court. And so it is already illegal to practice law without a license that is already illegal. And so there is a protected turf already. This bill does not change the protected turf. What it does is it says when people violate that, when they step onto that protected turf, these are the options that are available. And so to the extent you, if you wanna characterize it as as turf protection, I think that's fine. But our ability to, uh, you …

  ▶ Watch at 2:32:00

• H.B. 260 Unauthorized Practice of Law Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Asks the sponsor how AI will affect the legal profession and whether the bill adds another barrier.

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  Senator Johnson? Yeah, I have, I have another question. Uh, you know, we just voted on a bill to, uh, do a study for new law school, and it seems like to me, uh, the AI systems are getting pretty good at this stuff. And I'm, I'm just curious as to, uh, the sponsor's, uh, opinion about what, what's, what this is going to do to the profession and does this just offer another barrier?

  ▶ Watch at 2:33:38

• H.B. 260 Unauthorized Practice of Law Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Asks why the bill adds a private right of action given existing regulation and enforcement.

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  So right now we already regulate the unauthorized practice of law through the Supreme Court, Utah State Bar enforcement, existing criminal statutes, civil remedies, and this particular law adds a private right of action by a client. Uh, and I I'm just curious as to why, why we now need a private right of action.

  ▶ Watch at 2:38:23

• H.B. 260 Unauthorized Practice of Law Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Raises a separation-of-powers concern about the legislature criminalizing conduct defined by the judiciary.

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  Senator Johnson. I I I, I'm also curious about another thing too. It seems like there's an ambiguity of the separation of powers here. So the legislature is criminalizing conduct defined by the judiciary

  ▶ Watch at 2:40:28

• H.B. 408 Data Sharing Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Asks what data standard will be used for the data transfers and compares the bill to requiring Ford and Chevy to share a key.

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  So can you tell me the data standard that you're gonna use to transfer this data? Very vague. In the bill, It's the, It basically says they can use any data standard. They want to be able to transfer this data. This, this bill. Basically, I, I mean, it's like telling Ford Okay. That they need to create a key that I can use in my Chevy that transfers all my data and settings into my Chevy so that I can switch easily between my Ford and my Chevy Set. Yeah. So I, I'm just curious as to how, how they're gonna accomplish this. Senator Mikel, will you yield?

  ▶ Watch at 13:21

• H.B. 408 Data Sharing Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Asks whether a user could move all their posts and connections to another platform, comparing this to a car key transferring settings.

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  Yeah. So you're, you're saying, oh, oh, sorry. Go ahead, Senator Johnson. You're, you're basically saying then that if I decide one day I want to be on True social instead of Facebook, I, I need to just push a button and all of a sudden all of my posts that I've ever made, okay. My friends and everything are gonna transfer over to, uh, this other over to truth social so I can leave Facebook. So you're, you're basically telling them, so in my mind, that's kinda like telling Ford their key needs to work in the Chevy and it needs to transfer all of my personal preferences over there.

  ▶ Watch at 14:53

• H.B. 408 Data Sharing Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Says users agreed to platform terms allowing data use and that the bill imposes standards that are impossible to meet, citing his experience with data standards.

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  Yeah. Yeah. I would like to follow up because you, you know, basically you agreed to a user agreement when you signed onto Facebook that allowed them to use that data. And, and they basically said that if you wanna leave, we'll give you your data back, we'll let you erase it off our platform. But now you're telling them how to run their business. You're telling them that they need to provide you an opportunity to be able to transfer that directly to their competitor. I, I just don't see, we, we have all of these policies that just don't even make sense. I don't even know how they can accomplish that. You know, I, I wrote, uh, the …

  ▶ Watch at 16:07

• H.B. 408 Data Sharing Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Says he would like to move a substitute.

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  Senator Johnson? Well, I'd Like to move that sub at some point, but I'll Come back. Well, if you want to,

  ▶ Watch at 17:35

• H.B. 408 Data Sharing Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Moves to delete the title and body of the bill and replace it with substitute two.

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  Yes. I would like to delete title and body Of, uh, SB 4 0 8, substitute two and replace it, I think. Yeah. Substitute one.

  ▶ Watch at 17:45

• H.B. 408 Data Sharing Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Says vendors and companies have talked with him and do not know how to meet last year's standards, and he sees nothing in the bill that makes compliance easier.

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  Thank you. So, So I have talked to a number of the vendors, uh, number of the companies, they basically set up a, a standard that the companies don't even know how to meet. And so I, I don't know how I, I don't know how they can actually accomplish what was asked in the, in the bill last year. I was told in committee, I, I asked many questions about this in our committee and I, and you know, then I got some incoherent, i, I mean, responses back in terms of, oh yeah, well this is just gonna fix what we did wrong last year and I can't see a thing in single thing in this bill that …

  ▶ Watch at 21:46

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From the official recordings' automatic captions, with speakers and summaries identified by AI. Use the ▶ links to check the recording before you rely on a quote.

How they voted

Their full voting record, attendance, and party-line score are still being compiled from the official roll calls. Each bill page shows their vote on that bill.

Bills they sponsored

• S.B. 34 Public Education Revisions · Governor Signed
• S.B. 153 Election Amendments · Governor Signed
• S.B. 295 Intellectual Diversity in Education and Government · Governor Signed
• S.B. 309 Single-family Home Rental Modifications · Did not pass
• S.B. 312 Educator License Amendments · Governor Signed
• S.B. 319 Health Insurance Preauthorization Amendments · Governor Signed
• S.B. 322 Educational Technology Regulatory Sandbox · Did not pass
• S.B. 327 Occupational Licensing Amendments · Did not pass

Carried in the Senate as floor sponsor

• H.B. 55 Privacy Compliance for Education Technology Vendors · Governor Signed
• H.B. 163 Grow Your Own Educator Pipeline Program Amendments · Governor Signed
• H.B. 194 Utah State Board of Education Ethics Amendments · Governor Signed
• H.B. 249 Federal Funds Modifications · Governor Signed
• H.B. 405 State Purchasing Reserve Funding · Did not pass
• H.B. 426 Online Education Service Provider Amendments · Governor Signed
• H.B. 448 Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind Amendments · Governor Signed
• H.B. 518 School Curriculum Amendments · Did not pass
• H.B. 528 Local School Board Reporting · Did not pass
• H.B. 543 Uniform Commercial Code Amendments · Did not pass

About

In office since

January 1, 2021

Counties

Morgan, Summit, Weber

Profession

Professor

Education

Ph.D.

Honors and awards

None listed in their official profile.

Committees

• Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee
• Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee
• Education Interim Committee
• Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee
• General Oversight Committee
• Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel
• Senate Education Confirmation Committee
• Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Confirmation Committee
• Senate Education Committee
• Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee

Profile details come from the Utah Legislature's official legislator data.