Press Releases

Roberta, GA – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-2) reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to farmers and the agricultural industry in his remarks at Cooley Farms, Saturday, June 19, as part of the Crawford County Young Farmers Association’s 2010 Summer Tour.

Congressman Bishop, noting that the average age of young farmers continues to rise, saluted the youths there for taking on that challenge and facing it head-on with this tour.

Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-2) asks for support for Georgia Peanuts in Roll Call’s “Great American Peanut Debate,” part of the annual Congressional Baseball Game.

Voters are asked ‘Which state produces the best tasting peanuts?” Presently, the State of Georgia is in the lead with 39% of the vote, followed by Virginia with 30% in Second Place, and Texas with 15% in Third Place.

Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-2) today received a letter from Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, stating that the Department of Transportation (DOT) will not ban peanuts from airplanes. The DOT clarified the proposed notice that explicitly states that the DOT will comply with Section 346 of the DOT and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2000, Pub. L. No. 106-69.

Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-2) today called for the Senate to move forward to pass the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, commonly known as the Tax Extenders bill. In addition to closing tax loopholes, the measure provides assistance for 2009 agricultural losses, including specialty crops, livestock, sugar, aquaculture, cottonseed, and poultry.

The House of Representatives passed the bill in May prior to the Memorial Day District Work Period, and since then, the bill has been facing opposition in the Senate.

Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-2) today announced that the Department of Labor (DoL) has granted an extension of the CAA MilSpouse program to the 700 spouses at Fort Benning, with $2.8 million in tuition assistance. Additionally, the DoL included 200 more spouses in the program, for a total of 900 Fort Benning spouses who will receive tuition assistance.

Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-2) today sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ronald Kirk urging him to support the Georgia Poultry industry.

Congressman Bishop reminded Ambassador Kirk that the State of Georgia is the nation’s number one poultry exporter, with over $555 million of poultry exported from the state annually.

Washington, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-2) today attended a joint Congressional briefing hosted by the Military Family Caucus for the release of the National Military Family Association’s and the RAND Corporation’s groundbreaking study examining the impact of deployment on military families.

The detailed briefing included legislative recommendations for supporting military families during various stages of deployment, as well as information to update Congressional staff and military families on available resources.

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-2) today announced that Medicare will begin to mail $250 ‘donut hole’ checks to tens of thousands of senior citizens starting today. Under the recently enacted Health Reform law, seniors who fall in the “donut hole” coverage gap in 2010 will receive this one-time tax-free $250 rebate check. These checks will continue to be mailed monthly over the next several months.