Senators O'Connor and Montigny moved that the Senate adjourn in memory of Philip W. Johnston; the motion prevailed and the Senate observed a moment of silence.

Senator O'Connor delivered a biographical remembrance of Johnston, saying Johnston was a longtime resident of Marshfield, a longtime advocate for social justice and public service, and that he "worked tirelessly for the greater good." The remembrance, read into the record, states Johnston was born July 21, 1944, and died April 5, 2025; it noted his bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a master's degree from the Harvard Kennedy School. The record says Johnston served in the Dukakis administration as secretary of health and human services and later served as New England director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (appointed by President Bill Clinton and serving until 1996). The statement also described Johnston's roles in nonprofit work, including as founding executive director of the Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps (now part of the RFK Community Alliance), service on the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts board, and appointment as chair of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation board in 2002. The statement named surviving family members and closed by saying, "His was a life of service, well lived and genuine." That sentence was recorded in the transcript and attributed in the article to the senator who delivered the remembrance.

The motion to adjourn in Johnston's memory and the subsequent adjournment both passed by voice vote; the transcript records no roll-call tally. The record does not indicate further ceremonial resolutions or pending legislative actions tied to the memorial.