Agriculture & Rural Development
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) today joined members of Georgia's congressional delegation in urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to grant Secretarial Disaster Designations for those counties that have been adversely impacted by the state's ongoing drought. Due to high temperatures that have engulfed Georgia the last several months, sectors of the state's agricultural industry, particularly farming communities in southwest Georgia, have suffered severe economic hardships. |
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 1309, the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011. The measure, which would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years and make several reforms to strengthen NFIP’s financial position, passed the House by a vote of 406 to 22. Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) voted in favor of the bill. |
Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) stood up for farmers and rural communities in voting against the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Act because it unfairly targeted the agriculture community. If signed into law, the bill would make draconian cuts to agriculture research programs, rural development programs and assistance for seniors and pregnant mothers who go hungry. The bill barely passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 217 to 203. |
Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) this week joined members of the Georgia delegation in sending a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack urging him to designate 22 Georgia counties suffering from drought as Secretarial Disaster Areas. Farmers across Georgia have suffered major crop losses because of the extreme weather, and the Georgia USDA State Emergency Board recently listed which counties are suffering from extreme drought conditions according to the U.S. Drought Monitor as of June 2, 2011. |
Donalsonville, GA – Rep. Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02) toured downtown Donalsonville, Georgia today to see the damage caused by severe storms and subsequent fires earlier this month. Donalsonville Mayor Joe Burke, City Manager Marty Shingler, and business owners affected by the storm, joined Rep. Bishop on the tour. |
WASHINGTON – Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) today voted to eliminate a costly and duplicative permitting requirement for the application of pesticides that would hurt local farmers and further stretch state budgets. The House passed H.R. 872, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011 by a vote of 292 to 130. If signed into law, the bill would overturn the misguided court decision in National Cotton Council v. EPA. |
WASHINGTON – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed legislation to repeal a burdensome provision of the Affordable Care Act by a vote of 314 to 112. H.R. |
Atlanta, GA – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black today discussed the future of Georgia’s agriculture sector during a meeting at the Georgia Department of Agriculture office in Atlanta, Georgia. At the meeting, both men highlighted what effect the looming budgetary pressures could have on Georgia Agriculture and pledged to work together on behalf of Georgia’s farmers.
Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) released the following statement on the USDA announcement this week of the USDA 2009 Disaster Assistance program, which exclusively covers upland cotton, rice, soybeans, and sweet potatoes.
“We all appreciate Senator Lincoln’s work on this issue and her attempt to provide disaster assistance for farmers. We never would have gotten this far in moving forward with assistance if it weren’t for her hard work.”
(Published in the Albany Herald)
I want to address the claims made in Mike Sabot’s letter to the editor in the June 10 edition of The Albany Herald. Contrary to the the claims in the letter, the result of the bill that Congressman Bishop signed (HR 1416) does not weaken ethics reform. Its intended purpose is to improve the Office of Congressional Ethics’ processes and ensure fairness. Nothing in it diminishes the standards of ethics for members or changes the punishment process for unethical behavior.