Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.

DemocratU.S. Representative, GA-2

Age	79 (b. 1947-02-04)
Gender	Male
In office since	1993-01-05 (~33 yrs)
Race / ethnicity	African American
Religion	Baptist (member and Deacon/Trustee of Mount Zion Baptist Church, Albany, GA)
Education	B.A. in Political Science, Morehouse College, 1968; J.D., Emory University School of Law, 1971
Prior occupation	Attorney/lawyer; co-founded law firm Bishop and Buckner P.C. in Columbus, Georgia (1972), specializing in civil rights law
Military service	Yes: United States Army
Birthplace	Mobile, Alabama
Marital status	married — Vivian Creighton Bishop
Children	1
Residence	Albany, Georgia
Notable relatives	Father Sanford Dixon Bishop Sr. was the founding president of Bishop State Community College (Alabama). Stepdaughter Aayesha Owens Reese.

Wikipedia · Ballotpedia · OpenSecrets · Official site

Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.

Career & politics

First elected	1992
Previous offices	Georgia House of Representatives (1977–1991) · Georgia State Senate (1991–1993)
Committees	House Committee on Appropriations · Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Ranking Member) · Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies · Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
Caucuses	Congressional Black Caucus · Blue Dog Coalition · Congressional Peanut Caucus (Democratic Co-Chair) · Congressional Military Family Caucus (Democratic Co-Chair) · Congressional Taiwan Caucus · Congressional Working Forests Caucus (Co-Chair) · Congressional Caucus on Coal · Congressional Caucus on Community Health Centers · Congressional Caucus on Intellectual Property Promotion and Piracy Prevention · Congressional Diabetes Caucus · Congressional Fire Services Caucus · Congressional Fraternal Caucus · Congressional Glaucoma Caucus · U.S.-Japan Caucus · Black Maternal Health Caucus · Rare Disease Caucus
Leadership	Senior Democratic Whip At Large (112th and 113th Congresses) · Chairman, Democratic House Task Force on Homeland Security · Democratic Co-Chair, Congressional Military Family Caucus · Democratic Co-Chair, Congressional Peanut Caucus
Ideology	Moderate-to-conservative Democrat; member of the Blue Dog Coalition; ranked 16th most bipartisan member of the 114th Congress; Heritage Action lifetime score 9%; one of four Congressional Black Caucus members to vote for the 2002 Iraq War authorization; voted for the Laken Riley Act in 2025
Signature legislation	Hiring Heroes Act (112th Congress, lead House sponsor) — aided military-to-civilian employment transitions · Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act · Peanut Environmental Resource Stewardship (PERS) Program (included in 2007 Farm Bill) · Co-sponsored Religious Freedom Amendment (1997)

Financial

Net worth: estimate

No holdings recorded yet (from official Financial Disclosure filings).

Top industries: Agricultural Services/Products · Defense · Finance/Insurance/Real Estate

Scandals & crimes ledger

resolved — FEC Administrative Fine: Late 48-Hour Notification Filing (2016)

campaign-finance · 2016-01-01 · Federal Election Commission (FEC) · Civil penalty of $1,787.00 assessed and paid in full by May 1, 2017. Bishop's committee challenged the initial finding of $3,898.00; the finding was upheld but the penalty recalculated downward.

The FEC assessed Administrative Fine #3148 against Sanford Bishop for Congress (committee ID C00266940) for failing to timely file a 2016 48-hour notification report as required by federal campaign finance law. An initial penalty of $3,898 was assessed on October 25, 2016. The committee contested the penalty; on March 17, 2017 the finding was upheld and the penalty recalculated to $1,787, which was paid in full.

Sources: Federal Election Commission

closed — House Ethics Committee Investigation: Campaign and Official Funds Personal Use

campaign-finance · 2019-01-01 · The OCE completed a review and referred the matter to the House Committee on Ethics on February 10, 2020; the OCE's findings (publicly released July 31, 2020) stated there was substantial reason to believe Bishop violated House rules, standards of conduct, and federal law by using campaign and official funds for personal benefit. Specific allegations included more than $213,000 in campaign-paid vehicle fuel since 2003 (including for Bishop's wife and daughter), over $30,000-$368,000 in payments to golf/country clubs (Stonebridge Golf and Country Club and Green Island Country Club) for membership dues, greens/range fees, locker fees and meals between 2009 and 2019, over $16,000 in congressional office (MRA) funds spent on joint staff Christmas parties at a country club from 2015-2018, roughly $2,300 for a luxury resort cottage, about $938 for golf clubs, and a $600+ campaign withdrawal that was used toward a granddaughter's school tuition. Bishop's office acknowledged some of the golf-related spending constituted improper personal use and said he had reimbursed the U.S. Treasury for the Christmas events and stopped paying golf club dues from campaign funds by mid-2020, before repaying additional disputed expenses, auditing his campaign's spending, and retaining a new treasurer and outside compliance firm. On December 30, 2024, the Committee on Ethics (with three other members' similar matters) announced it was closing the investigation, stating there was no evidence any member intentionally misused campaign funds for personal benefit, while issuing each member, including Bishop, written guidance on proper campaign-fund use and documentation. · Investigation closed with no finding of intentional misuse of funds; Committee issued written guidance on proper campaign-fund practices. No fine, censure, or referral for further discipline was imposed. Bishop had voluntarily reimbursed disputed expenses.

The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) referred allegations to the House Committee on Ethics that Rep. Sanford Bishop used campaign committee funds and his congressional office (MRA) budget for personal expenses, including golf club memberships and fees, vehicle fuel, meals, a resort stay, and staff holiday parties. The House Ethics Committee investigated the matter for several years and closed it in December 2024, finding no evidence of intentional misuse of funds for personal benefit, while issuing written guidance to Bishop on proper campaign-fund practices.

Sources: Roll Call · The Hill · The Washington Post · Atlanta Journal-Constitution · Washington Examiner · House Committee on Ethics · Office of Congressional Conduct (OCE)