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NEW ORLEANS, L.A. -- Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. released the following statement in response to President Biden’s Executive Order on police reform, actions announced on the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
“While the Senate is unable to move important policing reform legislation, today, on the second anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, President Biden took the bold executive action to institute policing reform that will help build public trust while strengthening public safety.
“I’ve long talked about smart funding the police, and these are the types of actions I’ve been speaking about. Body cameras, banning choke holds, identifying the bad police officers, and providing increased training will make a real difference. Importantly, this executive order will help recruit and retain good police officers while ensuring officers’ physical and mental health are supported.
“Incidents like the murders of George Floyd and Ronald Greene here at home have forced Black parents to have conversations like the ones I must have with my sons. I counsel my sons that if they interact with police to just make it home so that I can fix it in the morning. These actions will help move the country to a place where no parent need have these conversations, and will help save lives while laying the path toward true public safety.
“While today’s Executive Order is a powerful step, it isn’t the end of the fight for justice in policing for all. I will stay in the fight as long as it takes.”
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NEW ORLEANS, L.A. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. released the following statement after the terrible attack on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas that killed at least 21 people, including 19 students under the age of ten.
“For far too long many have stared at horror in the world and looked away. Many offer thoughts and prayers to soothe the unimaginable pain and anguish felt by the loved ones of the children lost yesterday, their community, and the world. As a man of faith, I join the community of Uvalde in their sorrow and offer them my prayers and love.
“As a Congressman, however, I won’t look away from the simple fact that this isn’t an isolated incident. The United States of America is the only country in the world where this happens on a regular basis. It’s time to take common sense steps to stop this senseless slaughter of our children. Expanded background checks, red flag laws, and other simple policy changes are low hanging fruit.
“For those offering thoughts and prayers alone, 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, ‘Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — Unless indeed you fail to meet the test!’
“Colleagues we must meet the test. We must act.”
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Congressman Troy Carter accompanied US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm on her trip to Louisiana Tuesday, touring the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Bayou Choctaw and GE’s Wind Turbine facility at the Michoud Assembly in New Orleans. Carter said it’s important to show how Louisiana is using resources to create green energy.
“Because she gets to go back to the White House and talk about things that she saw. Conversations that we had with local and state officials are all valuable for the overall think tank of what we do in Congress and how we coordinate with the White House,” said Carter.
There’s been a lot of focus on petroleum reserve sites recently as the Russian invasion of Ukraine is causing record-high prices at the pump. Carter said the tour of the reserve in Iberville Parish was illuminating.
“Talk about the technologies that hold a quarter of reserve for the national security of our country. It was very insightful to visit with those professionals,” said Carter.
Carter said Louisiana is poised to be a leader in wind turbine energy with the plant strategically located near major ports and just offshore to proposed wind turbine placement in the Gulf.
“It provides a great opportunity for Louisiana to be again a major player on a global stage for energy production but from a clean, green source,” said Carter.
Governor John Bel Edwards and Congressman Garret Graves also accompanied Granholm on her tour.
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— The Mississippi is the lifeblood of our region and a significant economic engine. But the last 3 weeks have shown that this river can be very dangerous to people that live nearby.
The loss of 3 young lives to the dangerous currents prompted Congressman Troy Carter to propose an amendment hoping to get the Army Corps of Engineers to improve safety along the banks of the Mississippi.
According to Carter, “(The amendment aims) to make sure that employs modern technologies like sirens, call boxes, signage, fencing where possible. To put those things in action so no other family has to suffer the tragedy of losing loved ones.”
That amendment passed and now heads to the full house for debate. As for Ally Wilson-Berry, and her family today was a special day at her school.
Ally’s mother, Octavia Wilson, stated, “It’s a celebration. That’s why I came here to celebrate. Today would have been the day that my baby graduated and she’s going to go to the big school. And that’s all she talked about ‘I’m going to the big school.”
Dozens of families joined Wilson-Berry’s for their second grade graduation. While it was a day of celebration, this day was also filled with emotion.
“It’s a struggle everyday knowing that I’m in my home without my two baby girls, but I will not let them fade away. I will not let ’em fade away. I will do any and everything I can as a mother to keep them alive. Even though they’re not here, they’re here in spirit,” said Wilson.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the two members from Louisiana on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D, LA-02) and Congressman Garret Graves (R, LA-06) partnered to successfully advance several bipartisan amendments and funding priorities in the markup of the Water Resources and Development Act of 2022 (WRDA).
WRDA is a bill passed by every session of Congress that authorizes and funds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activities for flood control, navigation, and ecosystem restoration. Louisiana’s Second and Sixth Congressional Districts – those represented by Congressman Carter and Graves, respectively – makes up more than one third of all U.S. Army Corps project authorizations in the nation.
“Water is the lifeblood of our nation’s economy, public health, and environment,” said Congressman Carter. “In Louisiana we also know that we must plan comprehensively to safely manage water in our communities. WRDA 2022 is the mechanism Congress uses to build a stronger, healthier, water system for our nation. As we try to untangle our supply chains and navigate threats from climate change, we can’t delay critical water management, port upgrades, environmental, or safety projects. I am proud to have achieved meaningful bipartisan successes for Louisiana in this legislation alongside Congressman Graves, and I look forward to voting for its passage in the House.”
“Congressman Carter hit the ground running with us right after Hurricane Ida,” said Congressman Garret Graves. “We saw the devastating consequences of disasters in our community and committed to do all we can to protect and restore our region. This bill represents a number of good wins for the citizens of Louisiana and there will be more to come.
Yesterday, Congressman Carter and Congressman Graves successfully worked on a bipartisan basis on the following elements of the final WRDA bill passed by the committee:
- An amendment clarifying that the U.S. Army Corps should fund and continue paused ecosystem restoration and construction work to protect coastal habitat and communities on the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO).
- The LMR Comprehensive Management Study was authorized within the bounds of the Mississippi River & Tributaries project with a 100% federal cost share.
- Authorized a project for hurricane and storm damage risk reduction for the Upper Barataria Basin and for South Central Coastal Louisiana.
- Authorized project modifications to Lake Pontchartrain & Vicinity (LPV) and West Bank & Vicinity (WBV).
- Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study on projects and activities to mitigate fish and wildlife losses resulting from the construction, or operation and maintenance, of an authorized water resources development project.
- Amends section 2010 by extending the authority to transfer excess credits by ten years from its current expiration in June 2024.
- Provide construction authorization for Port Fourchon Belle Pass Deepening Dredge Material Management Plan.
- Increased the cost cap for the Baton Rouge Environmental Assistance project to $90 million.
- Authorized $36 million for St John, St Charles, and St James Parishes to plan, design, and construct comprehensive water and wastewater treatment facilities.
- Authorized $70 million for St. Charles, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines Parishes for water related infrastructure.
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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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NEW ORLEANS, L.A. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. released the following statement after the Louisiana State legislature’s recent actions to try and further restrict reproductive rights and take away control from women and people in Louisiana. These bills would, among other things: classify abortion from the moment of fertilization as homicide, with no exception for rape, incest, or ectopic pregnancies where the mother’s life is in danger.
“As the highest-ranking Pro-Choice official from Louisiana, I cannot be silent when my constituents are being threatened with legislation that would criminalize bodily autonomy, personal freedom and choice.
“This bill and this wider debate is not about life, it’s about control. If it were truly about life, Louisiana would be investing in prenatal care, early childhood education, food assistance, universal pre-K, and other policies that improve outcomes for children.
“Instead of investing in children after they are born, this bill would establish a pregnancy to prison pipeline, punishing Louisianians for exercising control over their own bodies.
“This legislation is a terrifying example of a post-Roe future for my constituents. In Congress, I will do all I can to codify access to the full complement of reproductive healthcare and put an end to devastating policy proposals like this.
“I call on my friends and former colleagues in the state legislature to vote against this dangerous bill that would strip away personal liberties and freedoms from the people of Louisiana.”
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NEW ORLEANS, L.A. -- Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. presented the President and representatives from Xavier University of Louisiana with a $2.5 million dollar check to jumpstart the university's renovations for a new STEM and Pre-Health student advising center in the historic St. Michael's Dormitory.
"I am so proud to have secured $2.5 million for Xavier University of Louisiana’s new STEM and Pre-Health Advising Center in the historic St. Michael’s Hall as one of my federal community funding projects," said Congressman Carter. "Representation matters more than ever, and HBCUs across the country can follow Xavier’s lead and help create a future where the doctors, nurses, technicians and scientists of our nation look like the Americans they serve. With this project here at St. Michael’s, I am confident we will make a positive difference in both the lives of students and in our greater community."
Thanks to this infusion of cash, St. Michael’s will be renovated to house a center for expanded pre-health advising, tutoring and career services on the ground floor. Additional funding will turn the upper two floors into new classrooms and labs for STEM education, and there will be historical markers and other artifacts honoring the Freedom Riders throughout the space.
President Reynold Verrett, Xavier University students, and members of the City Council were able to attend the event.
Videos and photos from the press conference are available here.
This is one of nine Community Funding Projects that Congressman Troy Carter advocated for and brought back to the 2nd Congressional District. These investments help increase livability, public health, research and education in the community, totaling $31.5 million across all projects.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives voted to pass Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr.’s bipartisan bill, the Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2022 (H.R. 128). It was passed without any opposition by voice vote.
The bill clarifies that the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Advocacy has the authority to examine international economic data and represent small business interests in international discussions – particularly in trade negotiations.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. In my home state, they make up over 99% of Louisiana businesses and employ 53% of all workers,” said Congressman Carter. “My district is an international one, containing 3 of the 10 largest ports in the world. Across the nation, today's small businesses operate globally, selling their products and buying goods from countries around the world. Small business concerns must be considered as the United States makes decisions around trade and other international economic issues. I am proud to that my bill, the Small Business Advocacy Improvement Act of 2022 will ensure that our small business owners have advocates in the federal government representing their best interests both at home and abroad. I encourage its swift passage in the Senate.”
The Office of Advocacy has acted as the independent voice for small businesses within the federal government since 1976. This office is also charged with overseeing the Regulatory Flexibility Act and is a source of small business statistics and research.
Since 2012, the Office of Advocacy has participated in several international regulatory cooperation and international trade initiatives that have impacted small businesses, but their role would benefit from clarification in statute.
"Today's small businesses are more global than ever, selling their products and buying goods from countries around the world. So, when the U.S. makes decisions around trade and other international economic issues, the concerns of small firms must be considered," said Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez, Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee. "This bill will empower the SBA Office of Advocacy and help ensure that the interests of small businesses are represented when it comes to the international issues that impact them."
H.R. 128 will now be considered by United States Senate.
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NEW ORLEANS, L.A. – Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. announced that Louisiana will receive $118.34 million in funding under the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This initiative will provide Louisianians with more transportation options, ease congestion in local communities and reduce carbon pollution across the state.
The investments total more than $6.4 billion across the country and are administered under the Federal Highway Administration’s Carbon Reduction Program, a new initiative established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. As working families grapple with Putin’s Price Hike at the pump, this funding will allow Louisiana to deliver more transportation alternatives and reduce commute times.
“Our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering historic investments in cleaner, more convenient transportation options for Louisianans,” said Congressman Carter. “This deeply needed funding will slash commute times, lower costs for working families, combat harmful carbon pollution and support good-paying, union jobs. I’m proud to have voted for this critical victory for Louisianians, and I will continue partnering with our state and local leaders to put these game-changing investments to work.”
These funds can be invested in a range of eligible projects, including:
- Public transit services
- Electric vehicle charging infrastructure
- Traffic flow improvements
- Congestion management technology
- Pedestrian and cycle trails
“By strengthening Louisiana’s clean transportation infrastructure, this funding will help reduce our reliance on foreign energy and protect working families from rising costs,” said Congressman Carter. “As these investments reach Louisiana communities, Congressional Democrats remain laser-focused on fighting Putin’s Price Hike: lowering costs, growing paychecks and creating jobs for the people.”
More details on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Carbon Reduction Program here, and the state-by-state funding allocations are here.
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