Henry Johnson

The criminal justice system is ridden with injustice that penalizes minority and poor Americans.

Mandatory minimum sentencing is fundamentally unfair.

The death penalty is immoral.

The government should serve and protect – not harass or inconvenience – American citizens.

The government should not detain or spy on Americans without a warrant.

Congress should exercise its government oversight prerogatives to their fullest in an effort to destroy waste and corruption.

The federal government’s reckless borrowing and spending threaten America’s economic and national security, and unfairly and unethically burden future generations who will be responsible for repaying today’s debts.

It is irresponsible and unsustainable to increase spending while cutting taxes, as the Bush Administration did.

Introduced the Effective Death Penalty Appeals Act in 2009, which would ensure that death row inmates have the opportunity to present newly discovered evidence of innocence.

Cosponsored the successful Second Chance Act of 2007, which will lower crime rates in communities by increasing the care and aptitude with which the criminal justice system deals with ex-prisoners, probationers, and recidivists.

Cosponsored the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which passed the House. It enables the federal government to assist local law enforcement with the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.

Cosponsored the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which passed the House. It directed the Department of Justice to open an office for the investigation of unsolved civil rights crimes committed before 1970.

Cosponsored the COPS Improvement Act, which passed the House. It expands the authority of the Attorney General to make grants for public safety and community policing programs.

Cosponsored the Stop AIDS in Prison Act, which passed the House. It would direct the Bureau of Prisons to implement a comprehensive policy to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention for inmates in federal prisons and upon re-entry to the community.

Voted, during the first 100 Hours of this historic 110th Congress, to reestablish the PAYGO system, which requires that new spending or tax breaks not be added to the federal deficit; costs must be offset elsewhere in the budget.

Original cosponsor of H.J.Res.120, proposing a Constitutional amendment limiting the pardon power of the President.

Original cosponsor of H.Con.Res.86, condemning the racist and hate-based attacks on our college campuses and reaffirming our support for inclusion and safety in our institutions of higher learning.

Original cosponsor of H.R. 4140, the No Unconstitutional Strike against North Korea Act. This bill prohibits the Armed Forces from engaging in hostilities in North Korea without an official declaration of war.

Introduced H.R.3664 on September 21, 2017, to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide that the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation may only be removed for certain causes, and for other purposes.

November 9, 2017, Congressman Hank Johnson, reintroduced three criminal justice reform bills in efforts to restore credence between police and the communities they serve. As well as eliminating discrimination and disparities in the justice system.

Congressman Johnson introduced the Cooling Off Period Elimination Act of 2017 or the COPE Act, the Police Accountability Act and the Grand Jury Reform Act.

Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy, is an original cosponsor of the USA PATRIOT Act Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R. 3845), and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R. 3846).

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04) earned a 100 percent civil rights voting record for the 112th Congress from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership to promote and protect the rights of all people in the United States. In 2018, he is still acknowledged for his efforts in maintaining civil liberties.

In 2017, Congressman Hank Johnson was named ranking member of Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet.

From his post on the Judiciary Committee, continue to support efforts to rid our criminal justice system of discriminatory practices.

Serve as a check against undue government interference in the daily lives of Americans.

Continue to provide federal and local law enforcement with the resources needed to fight crime effectively and humanely.

Work to form a bipartisan consensus which resolves that, by avoiding unnecessary wars and eliminating unfair subsidies to powerful constituencies, we can balance the budget without cutting vital social services like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Food Stamps.

Introduced the Fair Employment Act of 2011 – H.R. 1113 – which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect against discrimination on the basis of unemployment status.

Helped deliver more than $1 billion of federal investment in Fourth District job creation since January 2009, including $98 million to save more than 1,000 teaching jobs in DeKalb, Rockdale, and Gwinnett counties.

Secured funds for road projects on Covington Highway, South & North Hairston Road, Sigman Road, Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Briarcliff Road, and Shallowford Road.

Secured funds to train EMTs at DeKalb Technical college, funds to train the chronically unemployed for clean energy jobs at Goodwill Industries of North Georgia, hundreds of thousands of dollars for MARTA, funds for Suniva Inc. to hire additional workers at their Norcross solar panel plant, funds to hire more firefighters for DeKalb County – among others.

Voted against the Wall Street bailout.

Voted for the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that ends the era of abuses by big banks that have cost the American people 8 million jobs and $17 trillion in retirement savings and net worth.

Voted for President Obama’s Recovery Act, or stimulus package, which cut taxes for 95% of working families and made critical investments in education, clean energy and infrastructure.

Cosponsored the Summer Jobs Act, which passed the House and would create 1,000 summer jobs for Fourth District youths and ease lending to small businesses. Hank joined White House officials and former Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Barbara Lee to urge Senate passage of the bill.

Voted for and offered a successful amendment to legislation to reform regulation of Wall Street. It passed the House of Representatives.

Congressman Johnson hosted the 2nd Annual Career & Community Resources Fair on March 3, 2017, showcasing great organizations that are sincerely focused on the wellbeing of their employees. “By creating an environment where constituents can explore various employment opportunities and resources, it will help bolster the local economy and increase the number of skilled workers in the labor force,” said Rep. Johnson.

Original cosponsor of H.Res.586, recognizing the growth and importance of minority women-owned businesses.

Cosponsored H.R. 6467, the Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act of 2018, To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a pilot program to provide grants for job guarantee programs.

Cosponsored H.R.5785, the Jobs and Justice Act of 2018, to advance Black families in the 21st century.

Continue to support investment in job creation for working Americans and the chronically underemployed.

Support continued extension of unemployment insurance while unemployment remains high.

Continue to call for Congress to respond to the severe deprivations of America’s poorest people, especially during this period of economic difficulty.

Continue to protect American workers as they seek to level the playing field in their bargaining with employers.

Support tax relief for middle class households.

Call for smarter regulation of a financial system that has become too corrupt and complex.

High-quality education (like health care) must be a right of all Americans, not a privilege.

Chronic underinvestment in education seriously threatens America’s future competitiveness and well-being.

The single most important investment we can make is in the literacy, aptitude, productivity, and enlightenment of all Americans, young and old.

We must strive to make college and higher education a possibility for all Americans who are eager to achieve that level of scholarship and post-secondary and training/re-training opportunities available to everyone.

Teaching is among the noblest and most essential callings in society and should be rewarded accordingly.

Massive inequality within our educational system effectively condemns Americans living in poor and under-served communities to economic hardship.

We must strive to reduce our reliance on oil, an increasingly scarce resource. Our continued addiction to this rapidly depleting energy source damages the environment, undermines our national security, and gravely threatens our economy.

We must never again be fooled by low oil prices and neglect to take necessary steps toward reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

“Peak oil” is a real phenomenon. Oil is a finite resource and global oil extraction and refinement will peak – soon. That means it will reach its highest possible volume, then begin a continual decline. Supply will fall as demand continues to rise worldwide, and the price of all petroleum-based products – gasoline, transportation, and plastic products (to name a few) – will dramatically rise.

America should invest heavily in becoming the world’s leading producer of clean, efficient, renewable energy.

Coal is not a clean solution to our energy crisis. Biofuels, especially corn ethanol, divert precious agricultural produce away from food production, causing the price of staples like rice, corn, and soy to skyrocket. Natural gas could be an acceptable bridge to an era in which clean renewables like solar, wind, and hydro are dominant. This must be the ultimate goal.

The EPA needs additional resources and a Congressional mandate to aggressively defend the environment, which is a public good, and it should engage in regulation of carbon dioxide emissions.

Congress should aggressively tighten efficiency standards, especially fuel standards for automobiles, and implement legislation to dramatically cut pollution.

Introduced the Resource Assessment of Rare Earths (RARE) Act, which directs the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a three-year, comprehensive global mineral assessment of rare earth elements (REEs) critical to high-tech clean-energy and defense manufacturing.

move the United States toward greater energy independence and security;

increase the production of clean renewable fuels;

protect consumers;

increase the efficiency of products, buildings, and vehicles;

promote research on and deploy greenhouse gas capture and storage options;

and improve the energy performance of the Federal Government;

Cosponsored legislation to establish the H-Prize, which would award competitive cash prizes to advance the research, development, and commercial application of hydrogen energy technologies.

Cosponsored the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008, which passed the House. It extends tax credits for the production of electricity from renewable resources.

Cosponsored H.R. 3671, the Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act. This bill prohibits the authorization of federal permits for new fossil fuel extraction projects after 2018.

Cosponsored H.Res.430 to express support for the designation of Journeyman Lineman Recognition Day.

Cosponsored H.R. 3671, the Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act. This bill prohibits the authorization of federal permits for new fossil fuel extraction projects after 2018.

Cosponsored H.R.5042, the Job Creation through Energy Efficient Manufacturing Act, to establish the Financing Energy Efficient Manufacturing Program at the Department of Energy to provide financial assistance to promote energy efficiency and onsite renewable technologies in manufacturing facilities, and for other purposes.

Cosponsored H.R.1812, CLIMATE Act, to provide that the Executive order entitled “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth” (March 28, 2017), shall have no force or effect, to prohibit the use of Federal funds to enforce the Executive order.

Support measures to dramatically increase mandatory automobile fuel efficiency.

Advocate for a significant development fund to sponsor wide-scale research, development, and production of energy from renewable sources. America must strive to become the leader of this industry.

Continue to protect consumers from energy price gouging.

We cannot achieve or maintain a high standard of living if our environment is severely degraded or damaged.

The window of opportunity to secure our natural environment against existential threats produced by human activity is rapidly closing.

Humans are in large part responsible for climate change, a potentially devastating threat to our security and health that must immediately be addressed.

Clean water is becoming increasingly scarce, and efforts must begin now to secure safe, clean drinking water for all Americans, today and in the future.

We must immediately work to reduce U.S. dependence upon and consumption of oil, a scarce resource that is approaching its “peak,” or the moment after which production will continually fall.

If it continues to proceed so recklessly without international cooperation and coordination, unregulated human economic activity will destroy our planet’s delicately-balanced ecological equilibrium.

Awarded 100% for his environmental voting record in 2018.

Cosponsored H.R. 2696, Executive Office of Environmental Justice Act of 2017, which establishes an Office of Environmental Justice in the White House to address impacts of climate change on minority and low-income populations.

Cosponsored H.R. 2695, the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program Act, which establishes a small grants program for educational programs, research initiatives, and engagement with frontline communities.

Cosponsored H.R. 1664, the Investing in America: A Penny for Progress Act, which requires an increase in federal taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel, and kerosene after 2017. The revenue from these taxes would contribute to the improvement of highways, bridges, and mass transit systems.

Cosponsored H.R. 558, the Kennesaw Mountain National Battle Field Park Boundary Adjustment Act, which expands the park to include 8 new acres of land, currently known as Wallis House and Harriston Hill.

Original cosponsor of H.R. 494, the Fort Frederica National Monument Boundary Expansion Act, to increase the maximum monument size to 205 acres.

Cosponsored H.R.5264, the Clean Water Partnership Act, To direct the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, provide grants to States to facilitate the acquisition of land, water, and interests therein, made to substantially improve, preserve, or maintain water quality for an area in perpetuity, and for other purposes.

Never compromise my commitment to the defense of non-renewable resources, healthy ecosystems, wildlife, clean air and water, and pristine national parks. Make energy independence a central cause of my service.

Demand stringent environmental regulation of industry by the EPA, no matter who is the president.

Continue to introduce legislation that aims to reduce our overall negative environmental impact, in broad strokes and bit by bit.

Hank will fight the GOP at every step as they attempt to take access to affordable healthcare away from millions of Americans and stand his ground to protect consumers and empower everyone seeking affordable health insurance.

Since the Affordable Care Act was established in 2010, Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04) says, “Residents of my state – ranging from young adults to seniors to children – are receiving critical benefits from this health care law.” Some of these benefits include: increasing access to Medicaid, providing new coverage options for young adults, creating affordable prescription drugs for seniors, and removing lifetime limits on health benefits.

The Affordable Care Act aided in expanding health insurance coverage by establishing a Health Insurance Marketplace in every state and increasing access to the Medicaid program. From 2013 to 2016, there was an evident decrease of those uninsured by 29% in the State of Georgia.

The Affordable Care Act provided Georgia with millions of dollars’ worth of grants that met the constituent’s healthcare needs. Georgia received $14,389,032 for Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs. In addition, Georgia received $287,100 for Family-to-Family Health Information Centers and $4,953,436 for school-based health centers to help clinics to amplify health care services.

Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04) announced that a new report shows that hundreds of thousands of people in Georgia are already benefiting from the Affordable Care Act and that will continue to grow over the years, especially in the State of Georgia.

Ensure that the health care reform legislation is implemented such that it protects consumers and empowers ordinary Americans seeking affordable health insurance.

Continue to pursue additional funds for Georgia’s critical PeachCare program.

Continue to support a public option to counter insurance industry price gouging.

Introduced and passed the “Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act, which would require Health and Human Services to report to Congress annually on the impact of parasitic diseases – mostly in poor, minority populations along the U.S.-Mexico border, the rural South, Appalachia and distressed urban areas – to address their threat and make funding recommendations on how to eradicate them.

Continue to support investment in health care research.

Congressman Johnson is a staunch supporter of DACA, TPS, refugees and immigrants who come to America for a better life for themselves and their children.

Hank has zero tolerance for children being held in cages at detention centers, where they sleep on the cold floor.

Hank has zero tolerance for children being jailed and deprived of a human touch. We have zero tolerance for a Trump policy that deprives children of ever being reunited with their parents.

Hank believes we are a nation of laws, but we are also a nation of immigrants. Most Americans have parents or grandparents who immigrated to this country, and we know the hardships they faced, from learning the language to dealing with prejudice.

Hank believes we must secure our borders, require employers to comply with common-sense laws that benefit our country, and expect immigrants who want to stay here to do what people who have come to our shores in search of a better life have always done: obey our laws, learn our language, and pay taxes, while earning the chance to become tax-paying American citizens.

Went to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to help American citizens when they were detained by Trump’s illegal Muslim ban in 2017.

Marched on the frontline with thousands of peaceful protesters in Atlanta to denounce the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy.

Hosted a Fourth District Muslim, Refugee and Immigrant Listening Session at the Clarkston Community Center to fight against the divisive Trump Administration and the GOP Congressional immigration and refugee policies.

Introduced H. Res. 1073 to increase the number of refugees fleeing violence and persecution that can be admitted into the United States.

Voted for H.R. 3401, a $4.5 billion emergency border supplemental appropriations bill to address the urgent humanitarian situation at our Southern border. The bill provides significant funding for priorities to meet the needs of vulnerable children, including food, water, medical services, legal assistance, support services for unaccompanied children, alternatives to detention, and refugee services. The bill also contains important oversight provisions to hold the Administration accountable and to insist the Administration start to protect the rights of immigrants.

Supported H.R.6 – The American Dream and Promise Act.

Cosponsor of the New Way Forward Act, which makes changes to immigration enforcement, including ending mandatory detention in certain cases.

Cosponsor of the NO BAN Act, which imposes limitations on the President’s authority to suspend or restrict aliens from entering the United States and terminates certain presidential actions implementing such restrictions. It also prohibits religious discrimination in various immigration-related decisions, such as whether to issue an immigrant or non-immigrant visa, with certain exceptions.

Played host to former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Thomas R. Pickering on Capitol Hill to discuss the path to a political settlement of the war in Afghanistan.

Consistently opposed the Iraq War and supported removal of our forces from Iraq.

As member of House Armed Services Committee, always voted to protect and support our Armed Forces.

Cosponsored the successful legislation of the 9/11 Commission’s official recommendations.

Introduced and passed a resolution officially calling upon the warring parties in Uganda, the government of the United States, and the international community to work to peacefully resolve that country’s brutal civil war.

Voted to restrict “no-bid” defense contracts, by which politically-connected companies like Halliburton receive Pentagon contracts with no competition.

Introduced legislation to establish a National Commission on Detainee Treatment to review United States policy regarding the capture, custody, treatment, judicial proceedings, and repatriation of suspected “unlawful enemy combatants.”

Co-authored legislation to impose sanctions on Iran’s petroleum sector. It passed the House.

Cosponsored the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act, which passed the House. It would sanction Iran for its failure to make good on its international legal commitments with regard to its clandestine nuclear program.

Cosponsored the successful Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act, which states that it is U.S. policy to support state and local efforts to divest funds from, or restrict investments in, companies that conduct business operations in Sudan.

Voted to increase U.S. funding for the global fight against diseases such as HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria, which exacerbate global poverty, pose an international health risk, and undermine the stability of entire regions.

Cosponsored H.R 1698, the Iran Ballistic Missiles and International Sanctions Enforcement Act to prevent Iran from undertaking any activity related to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.

Cosponsored H.Res.92, to condemn North Korea’s development of multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Received an “A” on League of Conservation National Environmental Report Card. He believes: “Climate change is real and threatens our health, the environment, national security and our economy, and I’m committed to working with anyone on Capitol Hill or in the White House to invest in clean-energy technologies and jobs.”

Introduced the “Election Infrastructure and Security Promotion Act of 2016” (H.R. 6073) that requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designate our voting systems as critical infrastructure and the “Election Integrity Act of 2016” (H.R. 6072). This will put a limitation on the purchasing of any new voting systems that do not provide durable voter-verified paper ballots.

As it stands today, Social Security will be solvent through 2037. Those who advocate making huge cuts to Social Security to balance the budget are misguided. Social Security is an essential social safety net, providing critical income to more 53 million retirees, workers with disabilities, spouses and their children. Congress must not grant huge tax cuts to the wealthy and tax subsidies to large corporations, and then try to balance the budget on the backs of our seniors.

The United States faces fiscal challenges, and we must find creative ways to cut spending and increase revenues over coming decades. But a civilized nation does not balance its budgets by abandoning seniors. There are plenty of places to cut the deficit: the bloated defense budget, wasteful subsidies to powerful industries, and unwarranted tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, for example. We cannot balance the budget on the backs of our seniors.

I join seniors and all Americans in opposing Medicare fraud. Medicare fraud robs our seniors of quality health care and increases costs for all taxpayers. I voted for health care reform which gives Medicare new authority to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. Specifically, reform provided $700 million to fight fraud, allows CMS to conduct background checks and site visits to weed out fraudulent providers, and creates new penalties for submitting false data to Medicare or Medicaid. Passing the health reform law was the first step, but as we all know, the key to rooting out fraud will be in the implementation of the law. I will vigorously monitor CMS’s efforts in this area to protect America’s seniors.

Too many doctors these days are closing their doors to Medicare patients because Medicare continues to cut their payments. I understand how important it is to see the doctor of your choice, and that is why I voted for legislation to fix the broken formula which cuts doctors payments and makes it harder for seniors to see their doctor. Congress must make this issue a priority.

WHAT IS YOUR PLAN TO HELP OLDER WORKERS GET BACK TO WORK AND TO IMPROVE ECONOMIC SECURITY FOR PEOPLE OF ALL GENERATIONS?

The federal government has to support retraining and continuing education programs so older workers can adapt in a rapidly changing global economy. Congress also needs to strengthen the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which was recently weakened by the Supreme Court, to protect older workers and job applicants from discrimination.

Cosponsored H.R. 849, the Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to terminate the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Under PPACA, the IPAB was tasked with developing proposals to reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending.

Cosponsored H.R. 3178, the Medicare Part B Improvement Act of 2017. This bill contains several bipartisan measures to improve Medicare services, including expanded access, efficiency, and the reduction of administrative requirements for licensed providers.

The U.S. military is the greatest fighting force in history, and the men and women who serve in it must be honored and amply rewarded — never neglected.

We should always seek diplomatic solutions first, but we must maintain our capacity to defeat any enemy.

American forces in harm’s way must receive all of the equipment necessary to safely achieve their objectives, regardless of legislators’ opposition to the broader war.

Veterans are owed the best services and compensation for their bravery that can be offered by the United States.

The House Armed Services Committee must be accessible to all veterans and active duty personnel.

Hosted the “Extending the Legacy” program at the Lou Walker Senior Center in Lithonia on June 2, 2017, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War and veterans in the 4th District.

Continues to advocate for The Gold Star Family Support and Installation Act of 2017 which would allow families of service members to maintain access to military installations, so they can receive support and have access to services if their loved ones pass during active duty.

Original cosponsor of H.R. 5741, the Military Research and Development Act, to require annual reporting on the on the research, development, test, and evaluation capabilities of the Department of Defense.

Cosponsored H.R.5467, the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018, to amend title 10, United States Code, to extend certain morale, welfare, and recreation privileges to certain veterans and their caregivers, to authorize the appropriation of funds for the purpose of improving the electronic physical access control system used by military commissaries and exchanges, and for other purposes.

Cosponsored H.R.5301, to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from requiring a surviving spouse of a veteran to return certain payments for a month in which the veteran dies.

Call for increased funding of veterans’ services to ensure the highest level of care for those who have sacrificed for this country.

Effectively oversee the activities of the Department of Defense and its contractors, as according to the Constitution’s Congressional mandate.

Support the continued development of history’s finest military as it evolves to address future challenges.