Our Livelihoods
My top three priorities are (in no particular order): (1) jobs; (2) jobs; and (3) jobs. In order to grow the economy, maintain our nation’s competitiveness across the globe, and put Americans to work, I have supported investing in rebuilding our nation’s roads, schools, ports, and other infrastructure; raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour to put more money into the hands of working Americans; bolstering education and worker training initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels; providing tax credits to employers to provide affordable health insurance to their employees; and reducing regulatory burdens and paperwork requirements to unleash initiative.
I am a strong supporter of policies that make health care more accessible and affordable to all Americans regardless of their background and income. These policies include protecting Medicare beneficiaries’ access to physicians; increasing funding for medical research; expanding community health care centers; reducing physician shortages; preventing childhood obesity; lowering the costs of prescription drugs; holding insurance companies accountable to keep premiums down and prevent denials of care and coverage, including for pre-existing conditions; and improving veterans’ health care.
It is vital that individuals and families have access to the American Dream – namely, homeownership. I support legislation to help homeowners avoid foreclosure, stop predatory and irresponsible mortgage loan practices, increase the supply of affordable housing, expand veteran and rural housing opportunities, promote fair housing education and enforcement activities, and finance community development initiatives.
I am a strong proponent of Second Amendment rights under the United States Constitution. I believe that law-abiding adults should be free to exercise their right to purchase, own, and carry firearms for the protection of their homes and families. I received an A+ from the National Rifle Association for the 110th Congress (2007-2008) and the 111th Congress (2009-2010).
Small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy. I support legislation to establish a lending fund to provide community banks with capital to increase small business lending. I also support investing in innovative state small business lending programs, providing tax incentives to purchase employee health insurance coverage, reducing regulatory burdens and unnecessary paperwork, and enacting measures to spur small business creation and new jobs.
More on Our Livelihoods
PERRY, GA – Yesterday, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) joined Tom McCall, Georgia House Agriculture Committee Chairman; John Wilkinson, Georgia Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman; Gary Black, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture; Bo Warren, Director at the Georgia Department of Agriculture; Amy Oneacre, Policy Manager with the Georgia Department of Revenue; Jud Turner, Director at the Georgia Environmental Protection Division; Lt.
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) released the following statement today after the House, in a 392 to 31 bipartisan vote, passed the bipartisan Senate-passed legislation addressing student loan rates, which doubled on July 1st, sending the bill to the President’s desk for his signature.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, offered a testimony in favor of the nomination of USDA Deputy Secretary Nominee Krysta Harden at the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. A picture of the Senate hearing and the text of Congressman Bishop’s testimony are below:
“Good morning Madame Chairwoman Stabenow, Senator Cochran, and members of the Committee.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last month, the Farm Bill was defeated on the floor of the House of Representatives by a series of ‘poison pill’ amendments that would weaken nutrition assistance for our nation’s poor. Today, a new and controversial version of the Farm Bill, H.R. 2642, Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act, was reintroduced for a vote, completely dropping the historically included nutrition benefits. In protest, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (FARRM Act) was killed on the floor of the House of Representatives by a series of ‘poison pill’ amendments. Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA) released a statement regarding the missed opportunity to provide our nation’s farmers and ranchers a farm bill with the necessary tools and stability to continue producing the safest, most abundant, and most affordable food and fiber in the world.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) took action to force an up-or-down vote by signing a discharge petition to bring up a bill he has cosponsored, H.R. 1595: the Student Loan Relief Act of 2013. The bill would freeze the interest rate on these loans at 3.4% for the next two years, giving Congress time to enact comprehensive student loan reform as part of a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, many students across the nation are burdened with rising student loan debt. In an effort to keep college loans affordable, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) has signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 1595, the Student Loan Relief Act of 2013, which would extend the current subsidized Stafford student loan rate of 3.4% for two years. If action is not taken, the interest rate will double to 6.8% on July 1, 2013 due to the expiration of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act enacted in 2007 and extended for one year in 2012.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02) issued a statement regarding the passage of H.R. 1765, the Reducing Air Flight Delays Act. H.R. 1765 will provide the Secretary of Transportation with the flexibility to transfer funds to prevent further disruptions resulting from Federal Aviation Administration furloughs. If enacted, this bill will end the air traffic control furloughs that have congested commercial aviation traffic over the last week. Congressman Bishop voted in favor H.R. 1765; the bill passed 361 to 41.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), member of the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies cosponsored the newly introduced Pest Free Food Supply Act. The legislation would force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw a proposed regulation that would remove the authorized food uses of the industry standard fumigant, sulfuryl fluoride (SF), often used in commodity and food processing facilities.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) welcomed the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) decision to restart outreach and admission activities at the Turner Job Corps Center in Albany, Georgia and at Job Corps centers nationwide. This step will allow the Job Corps centers to quickly enroll students once the enrollment freeze is lifted.