Congressman Carter’s Amendment to Review Recreation Safety Measures Along Mississippi River Passes Out of Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of which Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. is a member, conducted its markup of the 2022 Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA). WRDA is a bill passed every session of Congress that authorizes and funds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activities for flood control, navigation, and ecosystem restoration across the nation, with a large presence in Louisiana.

Ultimately, the final version passed included Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr.’s amendment to improve safety along the banks of the Mississippi River, especially in light of the recent tragic drowning of three children who resided in his home community of Algiers, New Orleans.

“On behalf of my constituents, I am grateful that my amendment, the Recreation Hazards of the Banks of the Mississippi River Study, was included in the 2022 WRDA bill,” said Congressman Carter. “My constituents deserve to enjoy the majesty of our Mississippi River without fearing for their safety. I offered this amendment in memory of the children who tragically lost their lives. I believe we need to improve the insufficient measures needed to alert the public of the hazards along the riverbank and dangerous river conditions. I hope this amendment will help ensure no other lives are lost and greatly minimize threats to the life and safety of all who enjoy the banks of the Mississippi River.”

To Congressman Carter this issue is personal.

“Growing up as a child in Algiers, I spent the summers swimming in the river because we had no public pools in my area, and I’m lucky to have made it out safely,” said Congressman Carter. “I will continue my career-long effort to encourage more recreational facilities where our young people can recreate and refresh, but as we continue that effort I am grateful that this study will offer the maximum safety to all who would enjoy the Mississippi River.”

Specifically, if passed the Carter amendment would do the following:

• Require the Secretary of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out a review of potential threats to human life and safety from use of designated recreational areas along the banks of the Mississippi River in Louisiana;

• Then, it would require the Army Corps to install any technologies or other measures, sirens, strobe lights, or signage at such recreational areas that the Secretary, based on the review, determines necessary for alerting the public of hazardous water conditions or to otherwise minimize or eliminate any identified threats to human life and safety.

Since the levee system is under the U.S. Army Corps jurisdiction, much of the banks of the Mississippi River can be regulated through legislation under WRDA.

A video of the Congressman’s remarks in committee is available here, and you can read the text of the amendment here. The bill now heads to the full House for consideration.

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