Legislator Fact Sheet · Georgia's 2nd Congressional District

Sanford Bishop

Party Democrat

In Office 1993 – present

Roll-Call Votes ~20,000

Scope of This Review 2017 – 2025

HRC Equality Score 93 / 100

Sanford Bishop has represented Georgia's 2nd District (southwest Georgia — Albany, Columbus, and part of Macon) since 1993, and is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and the centrist Blue Dog Coalition. The ten votes below mirror the set used for Rep. Austin Scott (GA-08), so the two Georgia House members can be compared directly. Each entry lists how he voted, when, whether the measure became law, the real-world stakes, and a source.

10 / 10Sanford Bishop has a recorded position on all ten of the key votes below.

HRC Equality Score: 93/100 (118th Congress). An external rating from the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, scoring members 0–100 on support for LGBTQ+ equality based on key votes and bill cosponsorships in the 118th Congress (2023–24). Included for reference; it reflects HRC's positions, not this site's.

Vote positions verified against House Clerk roll calls, the member's own statements, and reporting. Party-line votes (no crossover) are noted as such; bills with crossover were individually confirmed. Impact summaries are factual; framing is left to the reader.

One Big Beautiful Bill Act

H.R. 1 · 119th Congress

Date: House passage July 3, 2025 (218–214)
Status: Became law — Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025

Impact on Everyday Americans

The largest safety-net rollback in recent memory — over $1 trillion cut from health programs and at least $120 billion from SNAP, with new Medicaid work requirements. Bishop voted no with every House Democrat and has since campaigned against what he calls "the big ugly bill," warning it guts rural health care and Medicare in southwest Georgia. (His Georgia colleague Austin Scott voted yes.)

Sources

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

H.R. 1 · 115th Congress

Date: House passage November 16, 2017; final passage December 2017 (party-line — no House Democrat voted yes)
Status: Became law, signed December 22, 2017

Impact on Everyday Americans

Cut corporate taxes permanently and individual taxes temporarily, and expanded the Child Tax Credit. The largest dollar benefits flowed to higher earners, and the individual provisions were scheduled to expire. Bishop voted no with the entire Democratic caucus; his colleague Austin Scott voted yes.

Sources

Congress.gov H.R.1 (115th)

American Health Care Act

H.R. 1628 · 115th Congress

Date / Roll Call: House passage May 4, 2017 (Roll Call 256) — party-line; no House Democrat voted yes
Status: Passed House; failed in the Senate — did not become law

Impact on Everyday Americans

The main ACA-repeal effort. The American Medical Association warned it would cause millions to lose coverage and, by replacing income-based subsidies with age-based credits, make coverage more expensive for poor and sick Americans. Bishop voted no with all Democrats; his colleague Austin Scott voted yes.

Sources

American Rescue Plan Act

H.R. 1319 · 117th Congress

YES

Date: House final passage March 10, 2021 (220–211, party-line)
Status: Became law, signed March 11, 2021

Impact on Everyday Americans

Delivered $1,400 stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits, and a one-year Child Tax Credit expansion credited with helping cut child poverty nearly in half in 2021. Bishop voted yes with all House Democrats; his colleague Austin Scott voted no.

Sources

Congress.gov H.R.1319

Inflation Reduction Act

H.R. 5376 · 117th Congress

YES

Date: House final passage August 12, 2022 (220–207, party-line)
Status: Became law, signed August 16, 2022

Impact on Everyday Americans

Let Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices, capped insulin at $35/month for Medicare enrollees, extended ACA premium subsidies, and funded clean-energy investment — direct savings for lower- and middle-income households and seniors. Bishop voted yes; his colleague Austin Scott voted no.

Sources

Ballotpedia

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

H.R. 3684 · 117th Congress

YES

Date / Roll Call: House agreed to Senate amendment November 5, 2021 (Roll Call 369, 228–206)
Status: Became law, signed November 15, 2021

Impact on Everyday Americans

Funds roads, bridges, broadband, and water-system replacement. Bishop voted yes and his office credited the law with bringing more than $10.5 billion to Georgia. His colleague Austin Scott voted no, calling the bill a "Trojan horse."

Sources

Build Back Better Act

H.R. 5376 · 117th Congress

YES

Date: House passage November 19, 2021 (220–213, party-line)
Status: Passed House; died in the Senate — did not become law

Impact on Everyday Americans

Would have funded universal pre-K, capped child-care costs, extended the expanded Child Tax Credit, and added elder-care and housing investments. Bishop voted yes with nearly all House Democrats; his colleague Austin Scott voted no.

Sources

Congress.gov H.R.5376

Respect for Marriage Act

H.R. 8404 · 117th Congress

YES

Date / Roll Call: Final House passage December 8, 2022 (258–169, Roll Call 513)
Status: Became law, signed December 13, 2022

Impact on Everyday Americans

Codified federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages. Bishop voted yes; his colleague Austin Scott voted no.

Sources

Laken Riley Act

S. 5 / H.R. 29 · 119th Congress

YES

Date: Final House passage January 22, 2025 (263–156) — one of 46 Democrats voting yes
Status: Became law, signed January 29, 2025

Impact on Everyday Americans

Requires DHS to detain undocumented people merely charged with or arrested for theft-related offenses — without a conviction — and lets states sue the federal government over immigration enforcement. Bishop broke with most of his party to vote yes (with fellow Georgia Democrat Lucy McBath); immigrant-rights groups criticized the detention-without-conviction standard. This is the one vote on this list where Bishop and Austin Scott agreed.

Sources

For the People Act

H.R. 1 · 117th Congress

YES

Date: House passage March 3, 2021 (220–210, party-line)
Status: Passed House; stalled in the Senate — did not become law

Impact on Everyday Americans

A sweeping voting-access and anti-corruption bill: automatic voter registration, limits on partisan gerrymandering, and new campaign-finance disclosure rules. Bishop voted yes on party lines; his colleague Austin Scott voted no.

Sources

Congress.gov H.R.1 (117th)

Constituent Access

Town Halls

Public forums with constituents · review period 2017–2025

Bishop holds town halls regularly — both telephone town halls and in-person meetings — and maintains a standing "Town Hall Meetings" page and a "Keeping Connected" hub on his official House site, plus three district offices in Albany, Columbus, and Macon-Bibb.

Documented Record

August 23, 2025 — in-person town hall, Albany. Bishop held an in-person meeting focused on federal budget cuts, warning constituents how the Trump reconciliation bill's reductions would hit rural areas, particularly Medicare.
February 20, 2025 — telephone town hall. A call to discuss the new Congress and administration and address constituent concerns about federal programs, workers, and the budget.
September 5, 2024 — telephone town hall. An update on his work in Congress and recent laws affecting Middle and Southwest Georgia.

Verified against WALB News, the Albany Herald, LegiStorm's event tracker, and Bishop's official House site (2024–2025). This is not an exhaustive list of every event; it documents that public town halls — both telephone and in-person — occurred within the review period.

Sources

Campaign Finance

2025–26 cycle · Federal Election Commission

Raised$1.0M

Spent$733K

Cash on Hand$455K

Sanford Bishop's PAC money is led by AFLAC — the insurer headquartered in his Columbus district — alongside the same agriculture PACs (cotton, pecan, peanut, cattle) that fund his Republican colleagues.

Pinned — AIPAC Money

$0 this cycle

AIPAC's FEC disbursement filings report no contributions or earmarked donor money to this campaign in the 2025–26 cycle.

Top PAC & Committee Contributors

#	Contributor	Amount
1	AFLAC PAC	$15,000
2	National Cattlemen's Beef Assn PAC	$10,000
3	Troutman Pepper Locke LLP PAC	$10,000
4	Southeast Cotton Committee (SECC)	$10,000
5	National Pecan Federation (Pecan PAC)	$10,000
6	National Peanut Buying Points PAC	$10,000
7	National Automobile Dealers Assn PAC	$10,000
8	Sheet Metal/Air/Rail Workers (SMART)	$10,000
9	Concordia PAC	$10,000
10	Communications Workers Of America - Cope Polit	$10,000

Source: Federal Election Commission, 2025–26 cycle. Direct PAC contributions and committee transfers only — individual donors, earmarked conduit pass-throughs, refunds, and loans are excluded. Figures auto-pulled from FEC filings.

Sources

FEC — candidate profile & filings

Verification Resources

Vote positions verified against House Clerk roll calls, the member's own statements, and reporting. The roll-call vote count is approximate for a member serving since 1993. Campaign-finance figures are drawn directly from the candidate's FEC filings for the 2025–26 cycle.

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