Craig Johnson (Iowa politician)

Craig Paul Johnson (born September 16, 1963) is an American politician who was elected as a Republican member of the Iowa State Senate's 32nd district in 2016. He defeated Democratic incumbent Brian Schoenjahn. He previously ran for election to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2014 for the 64th district. Johnson, born and raised in Independence, Iowa, is a financial planner and former sales and engineer manager.

During the 2017 legislative session, Johnson voted to shorten both the amount of time one may cast an absentee ballot and the number of days one can vote at satellite polling sites, and he voted to require all voters to present a state-issued ID. Though he voted for the measure, the bill was opposed by the Iowa State Association of Counties, an advocacy group for Iowa's disabled, and Iowa's Department on Aging opposed the bill.

During the 2017 legislative session, Johnson voted for House File 295 which eliminates local control in municipalities that voted to increase their own minimum wage locally. Johnson's vote will cause the minimum wage to be lowered in four counties which had already voted to raise their minimum wage (Johnson, Linn, Wapello, and Polk). Estimates show that at least 64,300 residents of Iowa will have their wages effectively lowered, including 35,800 to 36,000 in Polk County, 10,100 in Johnson County, and 18,400 in Linn County.

Johnson voted in support of House File 625, which eliminated the requirement that parents report on their state taxes whether or not they have healthcare for their children. In this bill, Johnson also voted to eliminate the requirement that parents apply for healthcare coverage, such as Hawk-i or Medicaid, for their children.

Johnson voted for an amended form of Senate File 481. This bill eliminated elements of local control by requiring a local officer to comply and detain an immigrant who is guilty of three misdemeanors, non-violent felonies, and felonies until ICE arrives. This bill was opposed by a number of organizations in Iowa, including the Iowa Police Chief Association, the Iowa Catholic Conference, the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, the Iowa Coalition against Sexual Assault, and the Iowa State Bar Association.

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