Federal Budget, Jobs, & the Economy
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. |
WASHINGTON – Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) today hailed the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) decision to award rural development funds to the Fort Valley Utility Commission for water and waste disposal projects. The projects will improve the city's infrastructure by upgrading the water and sewage facilities in and around the Fort Valley State University (FVSU) campus. |
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) released the following statement after the Department of Labor released the March jobs report indicating that the economy added 216,000 jobs last month and the national unemployment rate dropped to 8.8%, the lowest level in two years. Earlier this week, the Georgia Department of Labor announced that the state unemployment rate in February edged down to 10.2% from a revised 10.3% in January. |
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 on the death of Talbot County Sheriff Herman Howard. Prior to being elected Sheriff of Talbot County in 2008, Howard served as the Deputy Sheriff and county road superintendent of Talbot County. |
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. |
Arlington, VA – The Council for Agriculture Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) awarded Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) the Congressional Champions Award for his years of tireless service on behalf of America's land-grant universities. Congressman Bishop has been an advocate for land-grant universities since he came to Congress and secured millions of dollars for agriculture research in Georgia. |