Meet LaTonya Johnson

Elected to Wisconsin's 6th Senate District in 2016, LaTonya Johnson previously served in Wisconsin's 17th Assembly District since 2012. The 6th district includes residential, urban and downtown Milwaukee, as well as the southeast part of Wauwatosa.

A Milwaukee Leader
Sen. Johnson has lived in Milwaukee for over 30 years. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Tennessee State University. Before being elected to public office, LaTonya owned and operated a licensed in-home childcare service. She served as President AFSCME Local 502, the union representing in-home childcare providers in Milwaukee. She went through Emerge Wisconsin, an intensive training program for progressive women who want to run for office and is a proud alum of the Class of 2012.

Passing Legislation 
Since being elected, LaTonya Johnson has seen over a dozen of her bills signed into law, despite being a member of the minority party. This includes legislation to train commercial truck drivers on recognizing the signs of human trafficking to help combat this devastating statewide problem, as well as first-of-its-kind legislation to create an alert system for at-risk, missing veterans. This legislation, known as the Corey Adams Searchlight Act or 'Green Alert' has gone on to be a national model and has been passed in several other states as well as introduced at the federal level.   

Other Appointments 
Senator LaTonya Johnson is a dedicated public servant, currently serving on several key committees in the Wisconsin State Senate. Senator Johnson serves as the Ranking Member on the Joint Committee on Finance, a pivotal role in which she is deeply involved in the state’s budgetary and fiscal matters. This key committee reviews all state appropriations and revenues. In addition, she is the Ranking Member of the Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children, and Families, the Senate Committee on Health, and the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, where she is dedicated to addressing important health and social issues affecting her constituents. In addition to her legislative committee appointments, Senator Johnson serves as co-chair of the bipartisan Wisconsin Legislative Children's Caucus, a member of the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, a member of the Milwaukee Child Welfare Partnership Council, an advisory member of the UW Health Population Institute, an advisory member of Family Impact Seminar, a founding leader of  Policymakers for Peace, and serves on several other commissions and councils related to public safety, democracy, and health care.