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NEW ORLEANS, L.A. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. announced that during the month of September, Louisiana’s Second Congressional District received over $201.347 million in federal funding and grant awards. Awarded from many different agencies, these funds will help communities in southeast Louisiana recover from natural disasters, fight the scourge of domestic violence and crime, fund academic research projects, transition to clean energy, train public health workers, and much more.

“As my constituents face rising costs, concerns about crime, and increased threats of natural disaster, I am proud to say that the federal government is showing up for the people of southeast Louisiana,” said Congressman Carter. “Just in the month of September this year, my district was awarded over $201 million in federal grants to help improve daily life in our community. I am proud to have helped secure these funds for the people.”

The grants awarded include:

• $50,000,000 to the Greater New Orleans Development Foundation’ s H2TheFuture project to transition the regional hydrogen energy sector to green hydrogen. This was funded by the American Rescue Plan, was selected by the White House American Rescue Plan Regional Challenge and is administered by the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration.

• $3,000,000 to Marillac Community Health Centers’ Community Health Worker Training Program. This grant is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.

• $900,000 for the New Orleans Jazz Museum to upgrade and remodel its facility. It is funded by the American Rescue Plan’s “Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Program.” It is administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.

• $550,000 for the City of New Orleans to launch its “Connect and Protect” Law Enforcement Behavioral Health response Program.” This is funded by the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs.

• $900,000 for Operation Restoration, a program between the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women to improve vocational education programs available to incarcerated women while in custody and upon return to the community. This is funded by the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs.

• $1,298,310 for Jefferson Parish’s sewer lift station damage restoration following Hurricane Ida. This is funded by FEMA under the Department of Homeland Security.
• $700,000 for the 19th Judicial District Court’s which will establish a post-adjudication Veteran’s Treatment Court in East Baton Rouge Parish. This is funded by the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs.

• $1,299,996 for the City of New Orleans’ Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-based Program to fight against opioid overdose. This is funded by the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs.

These are just a few of the more than 75 grants totalling over $201.3 million awarded to Louisiana’s Second Congressional District in the month of September. The full list compiled by Congressman Troy Carter’s office can be found here.

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NEW ORLEANS, L.A. -- Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. released the following statement celebrating President Joe Biden's move to pardon those incarcerated for simple, federal marijuana convictions.

"On April 7, 2022 I met at the White House to discuss pardons and clemency for individuals incarcerated for marijuana possession. I’m so grateful that President Biden has taken this step to return citizens to their lives.

Now, we must pass my misdemeanor expungement legislation so that these returning citizens can fully move on with their lives."

The Congressman is the lead sponsor of the bipartisan Marijuana Misdemeanor and Expungement Act, which would clear the records of the people who have been pardoned by the President's actions.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. provided the following statement after he voted to support a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government until December 16^th, 2022 and provide Louisiana with $841.5 million for Hurricane Ida relief. It has passed both chambers of Congress and now heads to the President for his signature.

“Even though it’s been over a year since Hurricane Ida, there is still a long way to go,” said Congressman Carter. “The disaster recovery funding included in this government funding measure is a welcome source of relief for families and communities in southeast Louisiana who have been rebuilding for over a year.”

The CR provides a total of $2 billion in disaster relief nationwide. Louisiana will receive $841.5 million of the $1.4 billion set aside for unmet needs for 2021 disasters with the ability to apply for a portion of the remaining $600 million for 2021 and 2022 disasters.

Along with the $1.272 billion Louisiana received in the Disaster Relief Supplemental passed last March, Louisiana has now received a total of $2.1 billion in Hurricane Ida recovery. 

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.) and Congressman Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) introduced the Small Business Set-Aside Extension Act of 2022. This legislation would extend the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Program, which provides business development support and assistance to eligible small, disadvantaged businesses (SDBs) seeking to participate in federal contracting. This bill would allow the minority, veteran and women-owned business owners that participate one more year to utilize the program.

The 8(a) Program is currently a nine-year program within the Small Business Administration that offers business development and assistance to eligible small, disadvantaged businesses seeking to participate in federal contracting. A major benefit of the program is that participants have access to training, technical assistance, and contracting opportunities in the form of set asides or sole-source opportunities.

“We need to help level the playing field so that business owners of all backgrounds can benefit from federal contracting opportunities,” said Congressman Carter. “This one-year extension will help more, small, historically-disadvantaged business owners greater utilize the business development supports and resources that this program provides. It’s a small but important step forward to uplift our SBE business community.”

“I’m pleased to support this extension of the 8(a) program and the help that it provides to small businesses, which are a vital part of our neighborhoods in Philadelphia and across the country,” said Congressman Evans.

The text of this legislation was previously passed out of the House of Representatives as an amendment by Congressman Troy Carter within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). It is being reintroduced as a standalone bill while discussions on NDAA continue between differing versions in the House and Senate. The full text of the bill is available here.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. announced that the U.S. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health has awarded more than $3 million to eight organizations nationwide for a new initiative to demonstrate policy effectiveness to promote Black youth mental health. Southeast Louisiana will receive a total of $400,000 under one grant for the Institute of Woman and Ethnic Studies.

"Our system is failing to help our dear children stay healthy inside and out,” said Congressman Carter. “It truly is a crisis, and like most crises we face, the situation is exacerbated further for communities of color. We cannot accept this tragic reality, and I’m grateful that HHS has granted the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies of New Orleans $400,000 to fight for the lives and well-being of young Black people. This is a powerful step forward.”

“Over the past decade, Black children under age 13 are twice as likely to die by suicide compared to their White peers,” said RDML Felicia Collins, M.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health. “With this new initiative, we intend to identify specific policies that exhibit a meaningful impact on mental health for Black youth and to spread the word about these effective policy efforts.”

In October 2020, HHS released a report to Congress on African American Youth Suicide, which analyzed National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) data between 2014-2017. This data examined the risk and precipitating factors in non-Hispanic Black children and non-Hispanic White children aged 10 to 17, who died by suicide. The report examined youth suicide demographics, risk factors associated with higher rates of suicide among Black youth and evidence-based interventions towards prevention.

Grant Awardees are expected to use a policy assessment framework to identify existing policies to promote mental health in Black youth and test the impact of policies in various settings, such as schools, faith based organizations, community centers, health centers, or other community agency settings.

Later tonight, Congressman Carter plans to share remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives on the importance of improving mental health services for America’s young people. The video will be posted on his congressional YouTube page. Tomorrow morning, Thursday September 22nd, Congressman Carter will participate in a press conference about the impact of the climate crisis and natural disasters on youth mental health. The event will be livestreamed on the Moms Clean Air Force Facebook and Twitter pages at 9:30am ET / 8:30am CT.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. announced that the U.S. Department of Labor – in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Delta Regional Authority – has awarded over $34.3 million to support education, training and supportive services in regions that have suffered significant job losses in the energy extraction industry. Southeast Louisiana will receive a total of $2,427,213 under two grants for NextOp Inc. ($1,143,215) and New Orleans Career Center ($1,283,998).

“Investing in workforce development is a key tool for economic growth in both our urban and rural communities,” said Congressman Carter. “These investments will allow southeast Louisiana to address local industry demands head-on by both developing a skilled workforce and establishing a vibrant talent pool that will attract new businesses to the region.”

“The Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities Initiative provides grants to engage local communities and help build pathways for workers to good-paying jobs,” explained Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Brent Parton. “The awards we’re announcing today reflect the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to ensure the benefits of its investments in climate, clean energy, training and workforce development reach and serve disadvantaged communities.” 

These investments will complement efforts funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to create good-paying, effective jobs that help achieve our nation’s goals of strengthening our nation’s infrastructure and fighting the climate crisis.

In keeping with Executive Order 14008, signed by President Biden, the WORC Initiative aligns with the Justice40 initiative, a whole-of-government approach to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to communities historically marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution. 

The WORC Initiative helps rural communities address historic inequities and to produce good, quality jobs for dislocated and other workers in rural communities in the Appalachian and Delta regions. The grants also help communities diversify their local economies by developing a skilled workforce and providing equitable access to underserved and underrepresented communities. 

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