Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.

Expressing the profound sorrow of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable David Scott.

introduced

Commending the American Chemical Society on the occasion of its 150th anniversary and recognizing its many years of service to the United States.

in committee

Heirs Education and Investment to Resolve Succession of Property Act

in committee

“Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heart that is heavy beyond measure, and yet overflowing with gratitude to a gracious God, to honor the life, the ministry, and the enduring legacy of a man I have been blessed to call my friend, my brother, my teacher, and my faithful companion for more than fifty years--the Reverend George Phillip Shoultz, Jr., of Columbus, Georgia. A home-going service to celebrate his remarkable life will be held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at the Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia. Mr. Speaker, when I think of George Shoultz, I do not think of his many accomplishments, though they were many. I think first of a friend. I think of a brother. I think of the man who, more than half a century ago, sat in the same Sunday School class with me at the Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church, and who one day, by God's providence, would rise from the pew beside me to stand at the front of the classroom as my Sunday School teacher. That is who George Shoultz was to me. He was the friend who became the teacher. The brother who became the shepherd. The companion who walked with me on every road I have ever traveled in public life. Mr. Speaker, George was born on November 14, 1951, in Savannah, Georgia, the fourth of six children born to George Phillip Shoultz, Sr., and Cora Bell Shoultz. From his earliest days, he understood the meaning of hard work and family responsibility. Even as a young man at Tompkins High School, he worked to help support his family--a quiet sacrifice that would come to define his character. After graduation in 1969, he managed a Burger King and worked at Joe's Picnic, and he went on to study Accounting at Savannah State College, where, in a Sociology class in 1970, he met the love of his life. Miss Betty L. Martin. On July 29, 1972, George and Betty were joined in holy matrimony--a union that would last a lifetime and bless this world with three children. George, III, Brandi, and Geoffrey, and four beautiful grandchildren who were the very light of his eyes. Mr. Speaker, George Shoultz was a businessman of rare vision. He climbed the ranks at Heykow, Inc., from a local store in Savannah to becoming a regional buyer and district manager. In 1975, he arrived in Columbus, Georgia, to serve as Managing Partner of the iconic Sol & Harry's menswear store. And on January 1, 1983, through grit, faith, and sheer determination, he and his family purchased that beloved institution outright. For more than four decades, G. Shoultz & Company has clothed the men of Columbus with dignity and distinction. He was named Outstanding Business of the Year by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1983, and Regional Retail Minority Entrepreneur in 1985. But ask anyone who walked into his store, and they will tell you-- George did not just sell suits. He extended credit when a young man could not afford one for a job interview. He prayed with customers who were grieving. He turned his clothing store into a ministry of dignity. Mr. Speaker, our friendship was forged in the house of the Lord. For more than twenty years, George and I worshiped together at Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia. We sat in the same pews. We sang from the same hymnal. We sang and travelled with the choir. We bowed our heads in the same prayers. We sat in the same Sunday School class, week after week, year after year, opening the Word of God together. And there came a day when the Lord raised up our beloved George to teach that very class--and I, who had sat beside him as a fellow student, now sat as his student. He taught the Scriptures the way he lived them: with reverence, with humility, with conviction, and with a love so deep you could feel it in every word he spoke. I am a better man because George Shoultz shared with me the Word of God. I am a better servant of people because of what I learned saw in George. Mr. Speaker, our bond was woven through every chapter of our lives. He trusted me as his attorney, as I had the honor of representing him and his family in matters of business and matters of life. He trusted me with his counsel; I trusted him with my soul. There are not many men in this world whom you could trust unconditionally. George Shoultz was such a man. We watched each other's hair turn gray, and we thanked God for every gray strand of it. Mr. Speaker, when I first stepped into the arena of public service in 1976, seeking election to the Georgia State House of Representatives, George Shoultz was there. He was a young businessman then. I was a young lawyer. And he stood beside me--not because he had anything to gain, but because he believed. He believed in the calling. He believed in the work. He believed that representation mattered. And from that very first campaign, in 1976, all the way through every election I have ever waged--every State House race, every State Senate campaign, every single congressional election from my first run in 1992 to this ”

2026-05-19 · Government Reform

“Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable Georgian--Dr. Robert A. ``Bobby'' Clay, Jr.--who passed away peacefully on May 6, 2026, at the age of 98. Dr. Clay was a man of extraordinary character whose life of service left an indelible mark on Lee County, Georgia, and on the generations of students, families, and neighbors who were blessed to know him. A funeral service to celebrate his remarkable life will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at the Leslie City Cemetery in Leslie, Georgia. Born in 1928 in Lee County, Bobby Clay was the son of Robert A. Clay, Sr. and Eddye Hooks Clay. He was raised during the Great Depression on Clay Spring Farms, a family homestead recognized as a Centennial Farm, having remained in continuous operation by the same family for 121 years. From his earliest days, Bobby Clay learned the virtues that would define his life: hard work, humility, stewardship, and perseverance. The red clay of Lee County ran deep in his veins, and the values instilled on that farm never left him. Even as a young man, Dr. Clay demonstrated an uncommon sense of responsibility. At just 15 years old, while still a student at Leesburg High School, he served as a school bus driver for the Lee County School System--an early sign of the leadership and commitment to community that would characterize his entire life. He graduated with the Class of 1945, a year that marked both the end of a world war and the beginning of a remarkable personal journey. Dr. Clay went on to attend North Georgia College before earning his bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia. His hunger for learning did not stop there. With a lifelong dedication to education, he earned both a master's degree and a doctorate in education-- credentials that reflected not only his intellectual achievement but his profound belief that education was the great equalizer and the foundation of a just and flourishing society. For more than three decades, Dr. Clay devoted himself to the Lee County School System. He served on the Lee County Board of Education and then as superintendent for an extraordinary 32 years. During a time of tremendous challenge and change in American public education, he provided the steady hand of a leader who understood that doing the right thing was more important than doing the easy thing. [[Page E446]] Under his leadership, the Lee County School System navigated the complexities of desegregation with integrity and compassion. He opened the schoolhouse doors wider--welcoming students with disabilities into the public school system, expanding educational opportunities for all children regardless of background, and guiding the district through a period of significant growth. The school system he helped shape stands today as one of Georgia's most respected--a living testament to his vision and his values. But to speak of Dr. Clay only in terms of policy and administration would be to miss something essential about the man. He was, at his core, a farmer who loved the land. He spoke fondly of childhood days spent swimming in Chokee Creek, fishing, and working alongside his family. Clay Spring Farms was not simply a place he lived--it was an expression of who he was. He understood that the health of a community is rooted in the health of its families, its land, and its traditions. On June 13, 1954, Bobby Clay married the love of his life, Betty Ann Pace Clay. Their partnership spanned 67 years--a union of faith, devotion, and shared purpose that endured until Betty Ann's passing in 2021. Together they built a home known for its warmth, its hospitality, and its deep love of family. They were faithful members of DeSoto Baptist Church, where they served for many years and where their faith was as much a part of daily life as the Georgia soil beneath their feet. In addition to his work in education, Dr. Clay served his community through longtime membership on the Board of Health, demonstrating that his commitment to public service extended beyond the schoolhouse. He was honored as a member of the Lee County High School Distinguished Alumni Program--a recognition that only scratched the surface of what he meant to the people of that county. His truly lived his life by the words: ``To educate a man is to educate a citizen. To serve your community is to serve your God.'' Dr. Clay was preceded in death by his beloved wife Betty Ann; his son, Robert A. Clay, III; grandson Zachary Clay Peak; and son-in-law Sidney Clinton Peak. He is survived by his daughters, Carol Ann Clay Peak of Lee County and Melody Clay Sheffield of Albany; his grandson James Clay Sheffield; his sister Evelyn Clay Hicks of Marietta; and a wide circle of nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends who carry his memory forward. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representative to join my wife Vivian and me, along with the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District in honoring that”

2026-05-14 · Government Reform

“Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with to honor and celebrate the life of Reverend Felton Lamar, who peacefully transitioned from this life on May 1, 2026. A Homegoing service to celebrate his remarkable and dedicated life will be held on Friday, May 8, 2026, at the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Born the fifth of nine children to the late William ``Bosie'' Lamar and Bertha Lamar, Reverend Lamar's life was rooted in faith, family, and service. At an early age he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior and joined Pleasant Grove Baptist Church near Sylvester, Georgia. His faith guided every aspect of his life--his family life, his work, and the decades of ministry that followed. Reverend Lamar received his early education in the public schools of Worth County and later earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Bible from Bethany Divinity College & Seminary in 1994. In 1962, he was united in holy matrimony to Elizabeth Roberts Lamar. From this loving union, three children were born--Gary, Harold, and Katrina--and they, along with fourteen grandchildren and twenty-four great-grandchildren, remain living testaments to his devotion as a husband, father, and grandfather. Before answering the call to full-time ministry, Reverend Lamar worked faithfully at MacGregor Golf and Firestone Tire & Rubber Company and later served his community as a school bus driver in the Dougherty County School System until his retirement. After relocating to Albany, he united with Antioch Baptist Church, where his faithfulness, spirit of service, and leadership established him as a vital pillar of the congregation. He served in many capacities--Senior Choir President, Church Secretary, Sunday School teacher and was ordained a Deacon in 1971 by the late Reverend R.B. Smith. Hearing the divine call to preach, Reverend Lamar was ordained as a Minister of the Gospel in 1982 by the late Reverend George Daniels. He pastored with humility, compassion, and steadfast devotion--leading Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Shellman, St. Peter Baptist Church in Pelham, Mt. Early Baptist Church in Albany, and, for thirty years beginning in 1984, First Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church, where he was affectionately known as ``the Pastor who cares.'' Even after his retirement, he continued to serve faithfully at Mt. Zion Baptist Church until illness intervened. Beyond the pulpit, Reverend Lamar's leadership extended throughout the larger religious community. He served as Moderator of the Bethesda No. 1 Association, County Coordinator for the Second District of the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia and was an active member of the Albany Ministers' Conference. His life of service--quiet, persistent, and rooted in love--lifted countless lives. As Charles H. Spurgeon wrote, ``By perseverance the snail reached the ark.'' That image of steady, humble perseverance captures the essence of Reverend Lamar's ministry: not showy, but faithful to the end. He persevered in love, prayer, and service, and by that perseverance he sheltered and strengthened many. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife Vivian and me, along with the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District as we mourn the passing of a faithful servant whose life exemplified the Gospel he preached. I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our deepest condolences to Reverend Lamar's wife, children, grandchildren, siblings, and all who were blessed by his ministry. May his legacy of love, humility, and perseverance continue to inspire and guide us. ____________________”

2026-05-07 · Government Reform