The middle and southwest Georgia legislator seeks to use the legislative process to “create a higher, better quality of life for all citizens by promoting jobs and a stronger, more diversified economy, better education, safe and secure communities, a clean environment, affordable and accessible health care, sustainable agriculture, energy independence, and a strong national defense -- all within the context of a balanced budget.”

Congressman Bishop is a leader among the fiscally responsible Democrats in Congress. Since 2003, Congressman Bishop has served on the House Committee on Appropriations. At the start of the 112th Congress, he was elected by his colleagues to serve as the top Democrat on the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. He also will remain on the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, and has joined the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee. As a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Bishop has worked to ensure that the Second Congressional District gets its fair share of federal dollars to create and maintain jobs, rebuild its infrastructure, strengthen its schools, bridge the digital divide, fund innovative agriculture research, promote national security, and develop communities.

Congressman Bishop holds a number of leadership positions. He is a Senior Democratic Whip in the 112th Congress. He earlier served as Chairman of a Democratic House Task Force on Homeland Security and the Working Group on Defense of Physical Infrastructure and Natural Resources. Bishop was first elected to Congress in 1992 after serving in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1977 to 1990 and in the Georgia Senate from 1991-1992.

Bishop was born February 4, 1947, in Mobile, Alabama, and is the son of the late Dr. Sanford D. Bishop, Sr., the first president of Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Alabama, and Mrs. Minnie S. Bishop, a librarian. He is married to the Honorable Vivian Creighton Bishop, who serves as the elected Clerk of the Municipal Court of Columbus, Georgia (court administrator). They have a daughter, Aayesha J. Reese, and a granddaughter, Londyn.

Bishop graduated from Morehouse College in 1968 and from Emory University Law School in 1971. He is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and a Member of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. He served in the U.S. Army, completed basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, entered Advanced Reserve Officers Training, and received an Honorable Discharge in 1971. He resided in Columbus, Georgia from 1972 to 1996, where he was the primary partner in the law firm of Bishop and Buckner, P.C. He is an Eagle Scout, a 33rd Degree Mason (PHA), and a Shriner. Congressman Bishop also is a Life Member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He is a resident of Albany, Georgia, where he is a Deacon and Trustee of the Mount Zion Baptist Church.