Sanford D. Bishop Jr. was elected to represent Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District in Congress. After that he stayed on in his position. As a lawmaker and fiscal conservative, he works to improve the lives of all Americans by enacting policies that lead to a more robust economy, more job opportunities in rural areas, higher standards of living in urban areas, lower crime, less pollution, lower health care costs, greater access to preventive care, environmentally friendly farming practices, less reliance on foreign oil, a more capable military, and a balanced budget. The overall goal of his efforts is to make the United States of America less reliant. According to his analysis, these goals may be reached by implementing a few simple changes.
With the help of legislation, he hopes to improve people’s lives by increasing the number of jobs available, diversifying the economy, bringing more opportunities to rural areas, improving education, making communities safer and more secure, safeguarding the environment, expanding access to health care, promoting environmentally sustainable agriculture, achieving energy independence, strengthening national defense, and guaranteeing civil liberties.
Representative Bishop has been instrumental in the achievement of several initiatives that have helped the people in his district. It is his sincere desire that the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act become law. Veterans with a service-connected disability rating of less than 50% will be able to collect both their retirement pay and their Veterans’ Disability Compensation thanks to this legislation. He’s crossing his fingers that this works. It was his idea to pass this legislation. He was the principal House sponsor of the Hiring Heroes Act during the 112th Congress. All those who have served in the military services will be honored by this law. Funding for programs that help veterans find work in the private sector would have been raised and existing programs would have been strengthened under this proposal. By convincing the Department of Transportation to abandon plans to ban peanuts off airplanes, Bishop was able to ensure that peanuts would continue to be allowed on flights. He represents a district that brings in a disproportionately large amount of money from peanuts, and he has a voice in the legislative process. Over 700 military spouses at Fort Benning benefited from his work to keep professional development funding open to them.
Congressman Bishop puts in countless hours of effort, on behalf of the people in Southwest Georgia who are his constituents, to ensure that conservative principles are upheld. He has expressed his support for amending the Constitution in such a way as to make it unlawful to insult the American flag, mandate that the federal government maintain a balanced budget, and ensure religious freedom in public areas such as schools. Particularly, he has advocated for the modification that comes after it. The National Rifle Association gave him a “A+” grade on his candidate questionnaire because of his unyielding support for the Second Amendment.
Rep. Bishop was instrumental in passing legislation that would have renamed the Albany post office after Dr. Walter Carl Gordon, Jr. In addition to securing legislation to rename the Albany main post office after Dr. Walter Carl Gordon, Jr., Representative Bishop has also passed legislation to name the new United States Courthouse in Albany after C.B. King, a symbol of the civil rights struggle. He has supported measures to enhance and extend the Andersonville Historic Site, keep Fort Benning and the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany operating smoothly, and allow for the building of new facilities at these places. Also, he has supported laws that help ensure the continued success of Albany’s Marine Corps Logistics Base. The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center was made possible in large part due to his efforts, and he also campaigned for the minting of a commemorative coin honoring the United States Army Infantry. This was made feasible with his support. Finally, he has helped secure over $1 billion in federal funding, loans, and grants for community projects in the Second District. Consequently, the area is now considered one of the best in the country.
After holding positions in the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate for a number of years, Bishop was finally elected to a seat in the United States Congress in 1992. The state legislature of Georgia was one of the places Bishop had held in the past.
Bishop is responsible for a wide variety of responsibilities that are owed to the community. He served in this capacity for both the 112th and 113th Congresses, during which time the House Democrats looked to him as their chief whip. In the past, he has served as the head of both the Working Group on Defense of Physical Infrastructure and Natural Resources as well as the Homeland Security Task Force for the Democratic House. Bishop is the son of the late Mrs. Minnie S. Bishop, a librarian, and Dr. Sanford D. Bishop, Sr., the founder of Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Alabama. The college’s first president was a man by the name of Dr. Sanford D. Bishop, Sr. Unfortunately, both of Bishop’s parents have passed away. His arrival to Earth occurred on February 4, 1947. His special day is February 4. His wife is the Honorable Vivian Creighton Bishop, and she is the Clerk of the Municipal Court in the city of Columbus, Georgia. She was elected to that position and is now serving in it. Their granddaughter is Londyn, the daughter of the couple’s daughter.
Bishop received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and his legal education from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. Both institutions are located in the same city. In 1968, he was awarded the degree of bachelor of arts, and in 1971, he was granted the degree of doctor of laws. Morehouse College bestowed an honorary degree of doctor of laws upon Bishop during the same calendar year. He enlisted in the United States Army and reported to Fort Benning, which is located in Georgia, for first training.