Building Our Communities
By Larry Peterson
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
They say shooting of congresswoman won't wall them off from constituents
U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston was greeting guests at a barbecue Saturday when he learned someone had just shot one of his colleagues.
Kingston was stunned by news of the assault that left Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona critically wounded and six others dead.
But the Savannah Republican's annual event - held at an old tobacco warehouse in Alma and attended by about 400 people - continued as planned.
Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-2) today released the following statement on the tragic shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8): "Vivian and I are deeply saddened by the tragic and senseless shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, her staff, and her constituents. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were maliciously attacked and their families. May the Grace of God be with them during this difficult time." ### |
Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-2) today issued the following statement on the passage of the Development, Relief & Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 8, 2010:
Washington, D.C. – I applaud the bipartisan agreement on much-needed tax relief for all Americans. Now is not the time to raise taxes on any segment of the population while the economy remains so fragile. Raising taxes would stifle investment, impede job creation, and put severe financial strain on businesses and individuals.
Washington, D.C. – I agree that the extension of middle income tax cuts is vital to the economic health of our nation, and I proudly support providing this much needed relief. Over 75% of American workers are living paycheck-to-paycheck, and they simply cannot afford the burden of new taxes. Furthermore, many of our nation’s seniors are on fixed incomes consisting of Social Security payments, supplemented by dividend and capital gains income. This measure will help ensure that seniors can make ends meet in this challenging economic environment.
Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-2) today announced his support for legislation to provide Social Security recipients with a one-time $250 payment. The legislation (H.R. 5987, the Seniors Protection Act) had been drafted in anticipation of the Social Security Administration’s announcement today that there will be no automatic Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) for 2011.
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.”
Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) today announced his support for H.R. 1586, the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, which passed the House today by a vote of 247 to 161. The bill, which is fully offset by closing tax loopholes and cutting spending, provides $10 billion for aid to local school districts to prevent layoffs in elementary and secondary schools, saving an estimated 161,000 education jobs nation-wide, and 5,700 jobs in the State of Georgia.
Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) today announced his support for H.R. 6080, the 2010 Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Bill, which was approved by voice vote.
(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.