Bill Johnson (Ohio politician)

Early life, education, and business career

Born in Roseboro, North Carolina in 1954, he grew up on family farms. He entered the United States Air Force in 1973, married Wanda Florence Porter on April 30, 1975. They had 3 children. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after a military career of more than 26 years. He graduated summa cum laude from Troy University in Troy, Alabama in 1979, and he earned his Master’s Degree from Georgia Tech in 1984. During his tenure in the U.S. Air Force, Johnson was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate from the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Squadron Officers School, and Air Command & Staff College.

He is a recipient of the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal. As Director of the Air Force's Chief Information Officer Staff at U.S. Special Operations Command, he worked directly with senior congressional and Secretary of Defense representatives, as well as top leaders within the various U.S. intelligence communities, to ensure America’s Special Operations forces were adequately equipped to carry out critical national security missions.

He co-founded Johnson-Schley Management Group, an information technology (IT) consulting company that increased revenues by more than 200% in just three years under his leadership. In 2003, he left the company to form J2 Business Solutions, where he provided executive level IT support as a defense contractor to the U.S. military. From 2006 to 2010, he served as Chief Information Officer of a global manufacturer of highly electronic components for the transportation industry.

2010

In May 2010, Johnson defeated two primary opponents to earn the Republican nomination. In the general election, Johnson won his bid by a 50–45% margin against incumbent Charlie Wilson. He began his term in the 112th United States Congress on January 3, 2011.

2012

In November 2011, Wilson filed a rematch in the newly redrawn 6th District, which had been made slightly friendlier to Republicans in redistricting. Johnson defeated Wilson again in a heavily contested race 53% to 47%, and began his second term in January 2013.

2014

In 2014, Johnson faced off against heavily-recruited Democrat Jennifer Garrison, a former State Representative and lawyer from Marietta, Ohio. Johnson defeated Garrison handily 58% to 39% with Green Party candidate Dennis Lambert taking 3%. He began his third term in January 2015.

2016

Johnson was re-elected to a fourth term in the 2016 general election, defeating Democrat Michael Lorentz, the mayor of Belpre, Ohio by a margin of 71%-29%.

Tenure

Bill Johnson is a member of both the Conservative Republican Study Committee and the centrist Republican Main Street Partnership. During the 112th Congress, Johnson's "Veteran's Health Care Facilities Capital Improvement Act" was passed into law.

Additionally, the House passed Johnson's "World War II Memorial Prayer Act" which would require the prayer President Franklin Roosevelt gave on D-Day to be placed on the World War II memorial. The House also passed Johnson's "Stop the War on Coal Act" which would stop the creation of any new rules that threaten mining jobs. Both pieces of legislation have been sent to the Senate for consideration. Johnson sponsored of H.R. 4036, the "Pass a Budget Now Act" which would cut the pay of legislators if a budget is not passed by April 15 of each year.

In a candidates' questionnaire in 2010, Johnson wrote, "I am pro-life, and I oppose abortion except in the case of rape, incest, and when the mother's life is in danger. Additionally, I support parental notification and a ban on partial birth abortions." During his 2010 and 2012 general elections, Johnson received the endorsement of the Ohio Right to Life PAC.

A lifelong member of the National Rifle Association, Johnson opposes restrictions on gun ownership. He was endorsed by the NRA in 2012.

Johnson opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and supports repealing it.

At a 2016 House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Environmental Protection Agency regulations, Johnson called the agency "un-American" and accused it of "draining the lifeblood out of our businesses." Johnson's statement prompted criticism from Democratic members on the committee.

Johnson opposes the legalization of same-sex marriage, stating that it "undermines the integrity of the American family."

From the beginning, Johnson supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, characterizing it as necessary to prevent terrorist attacks. After the federal courts struck down the initial executive order, Johnson supported a replacement executive order imposing a revised travel ban.

Committee assignments

Legislation sponsored

Johnson referred to the EPA's ruling as "absurd" and said that "it is unconscionable that the EPA has put our public safety at risk because during the hot summer months sometimes, somewhere kids may play in fire hydrant water."

Opponents of the bill described it as a bill that would require "OSM to implement the flawed 2008 Stream Buffer Zone rule and prevent the agency from improving that rule for a minimum of seven years."