WASHINGTON - Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., stepped onto the Senate floor Friday for the first time since suffering a brain hemorrhage one year ago.

Johnson, who has been using a motorized scooter to get around the Capitol since he returned to the Senate in September, surprised even his own aides when he decided to use a cane to walk onto the Senate floor and cast several votes.

On Dec. 13, 2006, Johnson suffered an arteriovenous malformation, a condition that causes arteries and veins in the brain to grow abnormally large, become tangled and sometimes burst. He spent the next nine months recovering in hospitals and at home, and he is still weak on his right side.

Spokeswoman Julianne Fisher said Johnson used his scooter to travel from his office to the Senate but wanted to walk into the chamber. He has also started walking from the Capitol garage to his office every morning and walking back at the end of the day, she said.

Fisher said Johnson joked with the staff when he returned to the office, calling it "one small step for man."