Press Releases

Washington, D.C. Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives agreed to extend until April 18, 2008 the current farm policy pending negotiations of a new Farm bill. This follows two prior extensions of the 2002 Farm bill which was meant to expire on September 30, 2007.

Current negotiations between the House and Senate have slowed amid veto threats from the White House regarding from where extra spending in the bill should come.

Congressman Sanford Bishop, Representative of Georgia’s Second Congressional District, issued the following statement on the latest extension:

Washington, D.C. Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-GA), along with Congressmen Steve Buyer (R-IN), Gene Taylor (D-MS), and Jeff Miller (R-FL), recently introduced HR 5609, a bill to provide 180 days of transitional health care for soldiers in the United States Military who choose to voluntarily separate from active duty and join the Selected Reserves (SELRES).

Washington, D.C. Congressman Sanford Bishop today released the following statement on the President’s budget:

Washington, D.C. Yesterday, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia voided a 2003 agreement between the state of Georgia and the Army Corps of Engineers which allowed the state 65% more water out of Lake Lanier for use in metro Atlanta. The three-judge panel voided the agreement because the Corps did not have Congressional approval which, under federal law, first must be obtained for changes in the management of federal reservoirs.

Washington, D.C. Congressman Sanford Bishop, Representative of Georgia’s Second Congressional District, today voted in favor of the HOPE VI Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2007 which will revitalize distressed community housing through an $800 million-per-year investment over the next eight years. Since HOPE VI’s inception in 1992, every government dollar has leveraged at least two private sector dollars and has helped transform and revitalize 237 communities across the country.

Washington, D.C. Congressman Sanford Bishop today announced he is an original co-sponsor of the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Act. The legislation, which was introduced yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives, seeks to ensure a strong agricultural economy in future generations by preserving agricultural acreage across the country and making it easier for young farmers and ranchers to own land.

Washington, D.C. Congressman Sanford Bishop released the following statement in response to the President’s State of the Union address:

“I’m pleased that President Bush is following the example Congressional Democrats set last year by urging action on issues like health care, energy, education, and caring for our nation’s veterans. However, given the President’s track record on implementing his own policy initiatives, I am hesitant to endorse any of these plans outright.

Washington, D.C. Congressman Sanford Bishop, Representative of Georgia’s Second Congressional District, today announced that the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta recently awarded $360,000 to Pepper Ridge Too, an affordable housing unit in Fort Gaines, Georgia through the Bank’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP). Southwest Georgia Development Corporation, in partnership with Regions Bank, will use the AHP funds to renovate the 36- unit development to replace water heaters, floors, drywall, appliances and other improvements.