Introducing Legislation to Designate the Ocmulgee Mounds as Georgia's First National Park and Preserve

Last week, I joined Rep. Sanford Bishop and Senators Ossoff and Warnock in introducing the Ocmulgee Mounds Park and Preserve Establishment Act, which would establish Ocmulgee Mounds and surrounding areas in Middle Georgia as a National Park and Preserve.

The Ocmulgee Mounds are of invaluable cultural, communal, and economic significance to our state. Designating them as the first National Park and Preserve in Georgia is a great bipartisan and intragovernmental effort, and I thank Rep. Sanford Bishop, Senators Ossoff and Warnock, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and all local stakeholders for their efforts to preserve this remarkable cultural site.

Read more here.

Congratulating SBA's Small Business Person of the Year

I had the pleasure of meeting with Eric Williams from Macon, Georgia, who received the Small Business Administration’s 2024 Small Business Person of the Year award.

Eric is the CEO of both Unified Defense and Prince Service & Manufacturing, which are combined metals manufacturing companies based in Macon and Byron, GA.  Eric’s companies provide valuable services for our state, including ground support equipment, fabrication and welding, and industrial service work. 

This prestigious honor is only awarded to 53 individuals annually. Eric emphasizes buying and employing locally, strengthening and supporting our Middle Georgia communities with over 200 jobs.

Eric is a prime example of the high caliber of business owners and innovators across Georgia, which continues to make me proud to represent both Georgia’s Eighth District and the great state of Georgia.  

Attending MANA's Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in Fitzgerald

On Friday, I went over to Fitzgerald, Georgia, to celebrate the expansion of MANA with USAID Administrator Samantha Power. 

Founded by Mark Moore, MANA produces over 120,000 pounds of Ready to Use Food (RUTF), which is used to feed malnourished children worldwide. MANA says "it takes a village" to combat food insecurity—and in Georgia, it takes a farmer.

Our peanut farmers produce the most peanuts in the nation, and our state's beloved product is a key component in RUTF products, which MANA uses to feed over one million malnourished children a year. 
 
Last year, MANA started operations at a warehouse near the Port of Savannah that can hold about 35,000 pallets - which makes it one of the largest food aid warehouses in the world, if not the largest. 

With the expansion of the facility in Fitzgerald, they are now able to use the warehouse, efficiently shipping RUTF through the port to wherever it's needed and ultimately quadrupling their ability to help malnourished children. 

Thank you to Mark and the team at MANA for your dedication and hard work!

Honoring Col. Ralph Puckett, Jr. on House Floor

WGXA | Bipartisan bill proposed for first National Park at Ocmulgee Mounds

"In a monumental bipartisan effort, U.S. Representatives Austin Scott (GA-08) and Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), alongside U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock, have introduced legislation to establish Georgia’s first National Park. The proposed Ocmulgee Mounds Park and Preserve Establishment Act aims to designate the Ocmulgee Mounds and surrounding areas in Middle Georgia as a National Park and Preserve.

The bill, supported by a coalition of Georgia's Congressional Delegation, reflects a significant milestone in recognizing the cultural and historical significance of the region. The Ocmulgee Mounds, home to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation for over 12,000 years, boasts a rich tapestry of human history, from the Paleo-Indian Period to the Mississippian Period...

Representative Austin Scott emphasized the cultural and economic importance of the Ocmulgee Mounds, praising the bipartisan and intragovernmental effort behind the bill. Representative Sanford D. Bishop highlighted the historical and recreational opportunities the new National Park and Preserve would offer, emphasizing its significance for honoring indigenous peoples and preserving Georgia's heritage."

Read more here.

Washington Examiner | House Republicans mount challenge to Biden administration ‘crippling’ labor rule

"A group of House Republicans are looking to rein in a recent rule passed by the Biden administration that would finalize labor standards for U.S. farmworkers, arguing the law would allow for a loophole violating private property rights. 

The group, led by Rep. Scott Franklin (R-FL), is seeking to claw back the Labor Department’s recently finalized unionization rule that would implement new protections for farmworkers that GOP lawmakers argue would increase costs for those in the agriculture industry. Republicans have posed concerns with the 600-page rule, especially a provision that would allow for legal and labor union activists to gain access to private farm and ranch properties."

Read more here.