Building Our Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.

“The President summarized the nation’s stark challenges in an impressive and measured speech this evening. The President believes, as I do, that the economy grows when the middle class is strengthened—that when small business and our infrastructure are supported, jobs are created—and that the only way to balance our budget is to reach across the aisle and come to an agreement.

COLQUITT, GA—Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack recently announced that 23 counties in Georgia have been named primary or contiguous natural disaster areas due to a recent drought. In accordance with the designation, farm operators in primary counties and contiguous counties are now eligible to be considered for emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) for the next eight months.

Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, Colquitt, Effingham, Jenkins, Miller, Screven, and Seminole counties have been designated as primary affected counties.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies welcomed notification of an agreement between the United States and Mexico regarding the investigation of tomato ‘dumping’. Congressman Bishop has continued to be supportive of southwest Georgia’s tomato industry and has urged the Administration to find a solution to this issue.

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) announced members of the bipartisan Congressional Chicken Caucus in the 113^th Congress. Bishop and Crawford founded the Chicken Caucus in 2012 and will continue serving as co-chairs of the caucus in the 113^th Congress.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA) and Martha Roby (R-AL) announced the re-formation of the Congressional Peanut Caucus for the 113^th Congress.

The group of 17 lawmakers representing states with significant peanut farming and production will work together to ensure that peanut interests have a strong voice in Congress and that peanut issues are taken into account in agriculture legislation. Reps. Bishop and Roby will again co-chair the group.

VA/DoD Continue to Improve Online Access to Benefits Information

New Functionality Added to Online Benefits Portal

WASHINGTON - The Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense (DoD) just released improvements to the functionality of eBenefits, a joint self-service web portal that provides registered users with secure online information and access to a variety of military and Veterans benefits resources.

ATHENS - January 23, 2013 Applications are currently being accepted for the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) for projected 2013 funding of the program. The Rural Development’s RBEG program provides grants for rural projects that finance and facilitate development of small and emerging rural businesses, help fund distance learning networks, and help fund employment related adult education programs. To assist with business development, RBEGs may fund a broad array of activities.