Veteran lawmaker Rep. Dan Johnson (R-Logan) was admitted to the University of Utah Hospital on Jan. 26 following a brief bout of blurred vision and disorientation on the floor of the Utah House. He was reportedly resting comfortably prior to midnight.
SALT LAKE CITY – After suffering a bout of blurred vision and brief disorientation at the Utah Capitol, Utah Rep. Dan Johnson (R-Logan) rested comfortably at the University of Utah Hospital overnight.
He was alert, in good spirits and under observation prior to midnight on Feb. 26, according to a legislative spokesperson.
Johnson was transported to the hospital via ambulance after suffering a medical emergency on the floor of the state Capitol here.
The incident began just after 2 p.m. as Johnson and other lawmakers convened for an afternoon session of the Utah Legislature.
When other representatives nearby noticed that Johnson needed assistance, he was attended by Rep. Raymond Ward (R-Bountiful), a physician.
After receiving immediate treatment from Ward in the House Lounge, Johnson was attended by paramedics who then transported him to a nearby hospital.
The ailing Johnson was heartened, the spokesperson explained, to learn in the early evening that his House Bill 246 (Office of Families) passed unanimously out of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee of the Legislature.
That proposal — authored by Johnson and co-sponsored by Sen. Chris Wilson (R-Logan) – would create an Office of Families within the Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Johnson suffered an earlier medical emergency in Logan in the studios of KVNU on Jan. 2, where he planned to announce that he did not intend to seek re-election.
Prior to serving three terms in the Legislature, Johnson was been an educator for over 50 years, most of those years as an administrator.
During his tenure in the Utah House, Johnson has developed a reputation for specializing in beneficial legislation relating to public schools, teachers and students.