25.579.19 100th Legislative Session SC816
2025 South Dakota Legislature
Senate Commemoration 816
Introduced by: Senator Larson
Underscores indicate new language.
Overstrikes indicate deleted language.
A LEGISLATIVE COMMEMORATION, Honoring the life of former United States 1
senator, United States representative, and state legislator Tim Johnson. 2
WHEREAS, Tim Johnson died on October 8, 2024, at age 77, after a career in state and 3
national politics; and 4
WHEREAS, Tim Johnson's thirty-six years holding state and federal elected office is the 5
longest such span in South Dakota history; and 6
WHEREAS, Tim Johnson, a Democrat, never lost an election in his years serving South 7
Dakota, winning two terms in the state House of Representatives, two terms in the state 8
Senate, five terms in the United States House of Representatives, and three terms in the 9
United States Senate; and 10
WHEREAS, Tim Johnson chaired the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 11
from 2011 to 2015, and also served on the Appropriations Committee, the Energy and Natural 12
Resources Committee, and the Indian Affairs Committee; and 13
WHEREAS, Tim Johnson worked closely with, and was an advocate for, the nine Native 14
American Tribal Nations in South Dakota, and was given the Lakota name Wacante Ognake, 15
or Holds the people in his heart; and 16
WHEREAS, Tim Johnson was a champion of rural water projects, the ethanol industry, 17
farmers and ranchers, country-of-origin labeling on meat products, Ellsworth Air Force Base, 18
the underground science laboratory in the former Homestake Mine, and similar projects to 19
help South Dakota; and 20
WHEREAS, despite suffering stroke-like symptoms in 2006 from a congenital defect called 21
a cerebral arteriovenous malformation, Johnson easily won re-election in 2008 and continued 22
to serve the people of South Dakota; 23 25.579.19 2 SC816
Underscores indicate new language.
Overstrikes indicate deleted language.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT COMMEMORATED, by the One Hundredth Legislature of the State 1
of South Dakota, that the late Senator Tim Johnson is an outstanding example of a lawmaker 2
who built on what he learned as a state representative and state senator when he went on to 3
serve this state with distinction in the United States House of Representatives and the United 4
States Senate. 5