Representative Johnson's Bills Move Through the House  

Representative Johnson has filed thirteen bills in the 82nd Legislative Session.  All bills must make their way through the legislative process before becoming law.  After being filed, a bill is sent to the relevant House committee.  The chair of the committee can choose to grant the bill a hearing, where a representative will have an opportunity to explain the bill, and members of the public can testify for or against the bill.  If the bill is approved by the committee, the House Committees on Calendars or Local and Consent Calendars can schedule the bill to be heard and voted on by the entire House.  If a majority of the House votes in favor of the bill, it is sent to the Senate, where it goes through a similar process.  If passed by the Senate, the Governor can opt to sign the bill into law, veto the bill, or allow the bill to become law without his signature. Currently, Representative Johnson's thirteen bills are in different stages of the legislative process.  

House Bill 184, relating to when the Secretary of State must certify an uncontested special election, was approved unanimously by the Committee on Elections on March 16th. The Committee on Local and Consent Calendars is expected to schedule the bill to be considered by the full House soon.

House Bill 1106, which would require the court to inform a criminal defendant of his or her eligibility and right to seek an order of nondisclosure after being sentenced to deferred adjudication, was heard in the Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence on March 22nd.  Witnesses from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition and the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association testified in favor of the bill. 

On the same day, House Bill 1323, which would close a loophole in the Texas Finance Code that allows payday and auto title lenders to make loans bearing interest at rates upwards of 500% APR, was considered in the Committee on Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services. 

On March 29th, the Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services Committee also heard House Bill 246, which would ban corrupt state legislative and executive branch members from particpating in the state's pension system.  Over thirty of Representative Johnson's colleagues have demonstrated their strong support for this bill by adding their name as a co- or joint-author, and an identical bill introduced by Senator Kel Seliger is moving quickly through the Texas Senate.  

As the 82nd Legislature continues, Representative Johnson will work hard to advance his bills through the legislative process.  For updates on legislation proposed by Representative Johnson or any other member, please feel free to contact his Capitol office at 512-463-0586 or call the Texas Legislative Reference Library's Bill Status Hotline at 877-824-7038.

District 100: A Brief History    

In his first full term, State Representative Eric Johnson (D-Dallas) has worked hard to establish District 100 as a source of leadership in the Texas House.  Following his reelection last November, Representative Johnson hit the ground running, filing several significant pieces of legislation.  In addition to his own bills, he has also been hard at work as a member of the powerful House Committees on Appropriations and Higher Education.

Prior to 1973, Dallas County was represented in the Texas House by multiple members elected by the entire county from a single, "at-large" district.  In 1973, Texas House District 33 was created, which had boundaries very similar to the present-day House District 100.  District 33 was renumbered as District 100 in 1983.

The longest serving District 100 representative was Samuel W. Hudson, III, who served the people of District 100 and the former District 33 from 1973 to 1997.  Representative Hudson served on numerous committees, including Criminal Jurisprudence, Budget and Oversight, Business and Commerce, Energy Resources, and Judicial Affairs. He also served as Chair of the Rules and Resolutions Committee and Vice Chair of the Insurance, Air and Water Transportation, and Investments and Banking Committees.  When Representative Johnson was a high school student growing up in District 100, he worked as an intern in Representative Hudson's district office in South Dallas.

From 1997 to 2010, District 100 was represented by Gladys Evelyn "Terri" Hodge.  During her tenure, Representative Hodge served on the House Committees on Criminal Jurisprudence, Corrections, Elections, and Urban Affairs.   

Representative Johnson is the first representative in the history of District 100/District 33 to sit on the powerful House Committee on Appropriations.  With his appointment to the House Committee on Higher Education, he also became the first District 100/District 33 representative to sit on any education-related committee.