# Sanford Bishop (GA-02) — Legislator Fact Sheet · The GA Files > Ten key votes by Rep. Sanford Bishop, how he voted, his town hall record, and where his campaign money comes from — directly comparable to Austin Scott *Source: https://thegafiles.com/SanfordBishop.html · The GA Files (thegafiles.com)* --- 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](https://www.hrc.org/resources/congressional-scorecard), 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. 01 ## One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 1 · 119th Congress NO 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 - [Bishop statement](https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-bishop-opposes-bill-that-defunds-services-for-veterans-families-law-enforcement-and-rural-communities) - [WALB — Bishop on the bill's rural impact](https://www.walb.com/2025/08/23/congressman-sanford-bishop-addresses-budget-cuts-town-hall-meeting-albany/) - [House Clerk Roll Call 190](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025190) 02 ## Tax Cuts and Jobs Act H.R. 1 · 115th Congress NO 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)](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1) 03 ## American Health Care Act H.R. 1628 · 115th Congress NO 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 - [GovTrack Roll Call 256](https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/115-2017/h256) - [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/American_Health_Care_Act_of_2017) 04 ## 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](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1319) 05 ## 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](https://ballotpedia.org/Inflation_Reduction_Act_of_2022) 06 ## 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 - [Bishop statement — $10.5B to Georgia](https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-bishop-votes-to-pass-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-that-will-bring-over-105-billion-to-georgia) - [Congress.gov actions](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684/actions) 07 ## 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](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5376) 08 ## 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 - [House Clerk Roll Call 513](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2022513) - [Washington Post vote count](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2022/house-vote-count-respect-for-marriage-act/) 09 ## 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 - [GovTrack House Vote 23](https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/119-2025/h23) - [Capitol Beat — Georgia delegation](https://capitol-beat.org/2025/01/trump-signs-laken-riley-act-into-law/) 10 ## 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)](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1) 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 - [WALB — In-person Albany town hall (Aug 2025)](https://www.walb.com/2025/08/23/congressman-sanford-bishop-addresses-budget-cuts-town-hall-meeting-albany/) - [Albany Herald — Telephone town hall](https://albanyherald.com/news/sanford-bishop-to-host-telephone-town-hall-tuesday/) - [Bishop official town hall page](https://bishop.house.gov/TownHall) Campaign Finance ## 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](https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?committee_id=C00797670&recipient_name=C00266940) 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](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H2GA02031/) ## Verification Resources - [U.S. House roll-call votes](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes) - [Sanford Bishop — Congress.gov member page](https://www.congress.gov/member/sanford-bishop/B000490) - [Sanford Bishop — GovTrack profile](https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/sanford_bishop/400030) 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. [← All Legislators](https://thegafiles.com/legislators.html)