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WASHINGTON, D.C.  – In honor of Black History Month, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. is launching his inaugural Black History Essay Contest, a chance for high school students in the Congressman’s district to share their dreams for a stronger, more inclusive America.

“This Black History Month, I am asking students to learn from the past to formulate their vision for an even brighter future,” said Congressman Carter. “I encourage every 10^th and 11^th grade student who resides in the Second Congressional District to submit an essay to this contest and take some time to consider what their hopes and dreams are for our shared community. After all, we have to be able to imagine a better world in order to build one. Happy writing, and Happy Black History Month.”

The prompt for the essay contest is as follows:

At the March on Washington, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his dream for the future of America. Fifty-nine years later, our nation today still faces enormous challenges as we strive to become a more perfect union. In 500 words or less, share your dream for our nation and your vision of actions to make that “Dream” a reality.

The Congressman Troy Carter Black History Essay Contest is open to current 10th and 11th grade high school students whose official residence lies within Louisiana’s Second Congressional District. The contest will close on April 8th at 6pm CT.

The essay contest winner will receive a certificate of recognition, their essay will be highlighted on the Congressman's online platforms, and they will be offered the opportunity for the student and a guardian to attend an unveiling ceremony celebrating their essay in Washington, D.C. To determine eligibility and answer other questions about the contest, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page on Congressman Carter’s website.

Flyers advertising the contest can be found and downloaded here.

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NEW ORLEANS, L.A.  – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. joined Labor Secretary Marty Walsh on his visit today to New Orleans, in Louisiana’s Second Congressional District. Together, they participated in a roundtable discussion on investing in and improving conditions in the resilience worker and restoration economy at Delgado Community College. Following the visit, the Congressman shared the following statement:

“The strength of the American economy depends on the strength and resiliency of our workforce. We must ensure that as we grow our economy, we empower and invest in our workforce to include more diverse voices and welcome workers and businesses from all constituencies into critical, growing sectors.

“Here in Louisiana, a large sector of our economy that is built around responding to and rebuilding back from natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. We must do more to ensure that our small and local businesses and workers from historically marginalized or underemployed communities are given opportunities to participate in the rebuilding of their own community. This is a key step to a stronger recovery and building stronger communities.

“It takes all hands on deck to recover from a disaster, but in order to enhance equity instead of expanding inequities, we have to be strategic and bring more communities into the sector ahead of the event with efforts such as growing workforce development programs.

“It is great news that President Biden and his Administration have recognized the importance of small, local business involvement in federal contracting. In 2021, they directed federal agencies to increase contracting with businesses that fall in the category of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE) – a critical step in the right direction.

“I am grateful that Labor Secretary Walsh and Deputy Labor Secretary Su were able to come to New Orleans today to discuss these issues and more in the community directly. We were able to highlight a model example of increasing inclusion into the resilience economy through Resilient Force’s efforts to employ historically marginalized or under-employed communities with good-paying jobs.

“I look forward to working with Secretary Walsh and his Department in the future, and will continue to support the PRO Act and other pro-worker and good job creation legislation.”

Photos from the day are available here.

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WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. announced the introduction of a House Resolution condemning assaults on healthcare personnel, as well as calling for inquiries into the attacks and resources to support healthcare workers and counteract violence in the workplace.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers have been working tirelessly to save lives and protect our communities. But as cases and hospitalizations rise, many healthcare systems and staff have become overwhelmed and understaffed. This has coincided with a concerning rise of workplace violence against healthcare workers, including tragically in Louisiana’s Second Congressional District. In November 2020, National Nurses United surveyed 15,000 registered nurses across the U.S. and found that 20% reported increased workplace violence.

“Our healthcare workers are heroes in the fight against COVID-19,” said Congressman Carter. “And yet, far too many have experienced dangerous workplace violence and assaults while they try and save lives. We must condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms. This House Resolution will help bring awareness to this epidemic of violence against the pandemic’s frontline workers, call for federal inquiries and push for more resources to prevent and respond to workplace violence.”

This resolution has now been referred to House committees. If passed, it would specifically call on the U.S. Department of Justice to inquire into assaults on healthcare personnel and provide adequate resources and support to ensure that justice is given to those that have faced or could face assault. It also calls for the U.S. Department of Labor to increase workplace violence resources, specifically for healthcare personnel.

The full text of the resolution is below, and will soon be available on Congress.gov.

RESOLUTION TEXT:

Expressing support for health care personnel and condemning assaults on health care personnel as the U.S. health care system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace related stressors.

Whereas as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), healthcare personnel refers to all paid and unpaid persons serving in healthcare settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials, including body substances (e.g., blood, tissue, and specific body fluids); contaminated medical supplies, devices, and equipment; contaminated environmental surfaces; or contaminated air.

Whereas these health care personnel may include, but are not limited to, emergency medical service personnel, nurses, nursing assistants, physicians, technicians, therapists, phlebotomists, pharmacists, students and trainees, contractual staff not employed by the health care facility.

Whereas the United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration defines workplace violence as any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site.

Whereas workplace violence ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide.

Whereas acts of violence and other injuries is currently the third-leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the United States.

Whereas according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), of the 5,333 fatal workplace injuries that occurred in the United States in 2019, 761 were cases of intentional injury by another person. 

Whereas in November 2020, National Nurses United surveyed 15,000 registered nurses across the U.S. and found that 20% reported increased workplace violence.

Whereas according to the American Nurses Association, one in four nurses are assaulted while on the job.

Whereas the Joint Commission found workers in health care settings are 4 times more likely to be assaulted than workers in private industry.

Whereas according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), approximately 75 percent of nearly 25,000 workplace assaults are reported annually in health care and social service settings.

Whereas the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that healthcare workers and those who work in social assistance are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than other workers.

Whereas the Joint Commission found that approximately 30 percent of nurses report incidents of violence and only 26 percent of emergency department physicians report violent incidents.

Whereas the National Crime Victimization Survey showed health care workers have a 20 percent higher chance of being the victim of workplace violence than other workers.

Whereas the American College of Emergency Physicians reported that 70 percent of emergency physicians have reported acts of violence against them, yet approximately -3 percent pressed charges. Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives –

1. Condemns workplace violence, harassment, or assault against health care personnel;

2. Reaffirms that acts of violence, harassment, or assault against health care personnel will not be tolerated;

3. Calls on the U.S. Department of Justice to inquire into assaults on health care personnel and provide adequate resources and support to ensure that justice is given to those that have faced or will face assault;

4. Call on the U.S. Department of Labor to increase workplace violence resources, specifically for healthcare personnel;

5. Continues to support hospitals and health care workers and the work they do to ensure our health and wellbeing.

6. Acknowledges the increased work stress and strain on mental health that health care personnel face; and

7. Support providing health care personnel with mental health information and resources.

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NEW ORLEANS, L.A. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. shared the following statement recognizing the start of Black History Month 2022.

“Black History Month is a powerful moment for America to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments, stories, struggles, courage, joys, and essence of the Black experience in the United States of America.

As a Black man, Congressman, and proud member of the Congressional Black Caucus, I will use my role to continue to fight for the nation that I love to finally achieve its potential of justice and inclusion. I firmly believe that we can be a nation where we tackle the scourge of racism and hatred through policy changes, activism, accountability, and conversation.

This February and always, I recommit to advancing policies that defend civil and voting rights, promote racial justice, educate our children, invigorate our local economies, and improve public health and safety.

No matter what Senate Leader Mitch McConnell says, Black Americans ARE Americans. Black History IS American History. Let us take the next 28 days and use them as a launching point to a stronger future and an America that honors and uplifts the Black community all 365 days a year.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Thanks to funding from the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. announced today that Louisiana is eligible for a Phase One payment of $47,396,000 to clean up orphaned oil and gas wells across the state. Louisiana’s lifetime investment from the law for this program is expected to be around $111.5 million, but the state might also receive further funding through the Infrastructure Law’s $1.5 billion state Performance Grant program.

This announcement is part of the wider news from the U.S. Department of the Interior that $1.15 billion in funding is available to states from the Infrastructure Law to create jobs and clean up orphaned oil and gas wells across the country. This is a key initiative of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocated a total of $4.7 billion to create a new federal program to address orphan wells and protect the millions of Americans who live within a mile of an orphaned oil or gas well.

“This a critical first step to protect Louisiana’s communities and ecosystems from the hazards of orphan oil and gas wells,” said Congressman Carter. “This funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will finally help state officials address these wells, decrease dangerous methane emissions, and overall make Louisiana a safer and cleaner place to live. These projects will also create jobs and help spur more economic growth in our region and nationwide.”

Louisiana is expected to receive the seventh highest amount of total Phase One funding of all states, and this will help restore and plug the approximately 4,605 orphaned wells statewide. Along with cleaning up these hazardous sites in neighborhoods and public spaces, these investments will create good-paying, union jobs, catalyze economic growth and revitalization, and reduce dangerous methane leaks. Congressman Carter was the only member of the Louisiana House delegation to vote in support of the Infrastructure Law.

Plugging orphaned wells will help the nation hit its environmental and economic goals, such as the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan, and the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization, which focuses on spurring economic revitalization in the hard-hit energy communities.

In coming weeks, the Department of the Interior will release detailed guidance for states to apply for their Initial Grants. These resources will allow state officials to begin building out their programs, remediating high-priority wells, and collecting additional data regarding the number of orphaned wells in their states. Improvements in state data, combined with more accurate Bureau of Labor Statistics will allow the Department to ensure that the final formula funding for states is pulled from the best information available.  

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WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. member of the bipartisan congressional Ethylene Oxide Task Force released the following statement about the Environmental Protection Agency’s Decision to stand by the 2016 IRIS Value of ethylene oxide (EtO):

“For too many in southeast Louisiana, environmental injustice isn’t an abstract concept, it’s a serious issue that many of my constituents face every day. Ethylene oxide is a dangerous air toxic that should be regulated in a way that prioritizes the health and safety of communities above all.

“As a member of the bipartisan Congressional EtO Task Force, I have heard firsthand how harmful EtO is to impacted communities. One of the Task Force’s top priorities has always been ensuring that the EPA upholds a strong standard in how they will regulate the chemical going forward – one that recognizes how toxic and dangerous ethylene oxide really is.

“The EPA’s decision today to uphold the 2016 IRIS value, despite the industry pushing for a weaker standard, is a huge step forward for our constituents who have been negatively impacted by EtO. I commend the EPA for listening and look forward to continued collaboration with the agency to reduce the harmful effects of EtO on our communities going forward. By locking the 2016 value into agency regulations, the EPA is demonstrating commitment to preserving public health and protecting affected communities.”

The bipartisan Congressional Ethylene Oxide Task Force advocates for stricter regulation of EtO to protect public health. EtO is an industrial chemical used in chemical manufacturing sterilize medical devices. Since 2016, EtO has been deemed a “known carcinogen” and the release of the 2018 National Air Toxics Assessment identified several Illinois communities facing dangerously high EtO emissions.

The Task Force includes Congressman Troy Carter (LA-02), Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10), Congressman Jody Hice (GA-10), Sean Casten (IL-06), Bill Foster (IL- 11), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), David Scott (GA-13), Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and Susan Wild (PA-07).

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WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. celebrated announcements from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will promote environmental justice throughout Louisiana’s Second Congressional District. Among several other initiatives, the agency’s actions respond to his calls for increased air quality monitoring and accountability that were outlined in a letter on August 12, 2021.

“I would like to thank the Administrator for assisting the City of New Orleans with their infrastructure issues, as well as initiating first steps toward accountability, especially regarding air quality enforcement, monitoring, and data collection, which I called for back in August,” said Congressman Troy Carter. “To my constituents, this is their home and it is the primary duty of government to ensure that the people are safe and protected in their communities. The environmental justice actions announced today will allow collection of independent, reliable data that will inform the path forward to improve public health.”

The EPA’s actions range from policy changes to community-driven efforts and will help deliver environmental justice and work towards building a better America. They are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s wider whole-of-government approach to taking on environmental justice issues in communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. 

The EPA also announced a series of broad, agency-wide policy actions including:  

• Committing the EPA to aggressively use its authority to conduct unannounced inspections of suspected non-compliant facilities, as needed to protect public health. When facilities are found to be non-compliant, the EPA will use all available tools to hold them accountable.

• Deploying a new program to expand air monitoring capacity called the Pollution Accountability Team (PAT). This program will utilize assets such as the ASPECT airplane, GMAP mobile air monitoring vehicle, and additional air pollution inspectors to enhance enforcement. Combining high-tech air pollution monitoring with boots-on-the-ground inspectors, PAT will address pollution and enhance enforcement at a community scale. This pilot program will also work to develop and/or acquire new instrumentation to measure newly emerging contaminants, such as chloroprene and ethylene oxide. More details on this program will be available in the coming weeks.

• Mobilizing agency resources to invest in community air monitoring to better protect people and public health in vulnerable areas.

• Pressing state and local elected officials to take urgent action to better protect the most overburdened communities.

• Holding companies more accountable for their actions in overburdened communities with increased monitoring and oversight of polluting facilities.

• The EPA will apply the best available science to inform the agency’s policymaking in order to best safeguard public health and protect the environment. 

• To ensure facility compliance with environmental laws, the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) has been directed to aggressively use its authority to conduct unannounced inspections at suspected non-compliant facilities, as needed, to protect public health.

• The Agency is also directing resources to better protect people and public health in overburdened areas across the nation, making $20 million in grants available from the American Rescue Plan to enhance local air monitoring for pollutants of greatest concern in communities facing health disparities.

• The EPA is proposing to reaffirm their peer-reviewed scientific assessment showing that ethylene oxide is significantly more toxic than previously understood, and going forward will use this assessment as a basis in taking regulatory actions to reduce this harmful pollutant. This notice responds to several petitions for reconsideration of a 2020 rule revising emission standards for chemical plants in the Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Manufacturing source category and will be open to public comment.

Several of EPA’s announcements today reference actions in several specific regions, including the Second Congressional District that Congressman Carter represents.  They include:

• As was announced in December, the EPA is providing a $275 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan to New Orleans’ Sewerage and Water Board to modernize the city’s aged and storm-damaged sewer system.

• The new Pollution Accountability Team will begin its pilot air monitoring project in Mossville, St. James Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish. The EPA will work with residents and community leaders to determine the routes to be traveled by the mobile monitoring vehicle and the contaminants to be monitored. EPA Region 6 will make this data available to the public.

• The EPA will also invest more than $600,000 to procure mobile air pollution monitoring equipment and will deploy the monitors in Mossville, St. John the Baptist Parish and St. James Parish, among other communities located in the south. This equipment will measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including air toxics, and will dramatically improve EPA’s ability to measure pollution quickly and assess situations in real-time. The EPA will work with local organizations to host trainings for community members to introduce them to the technology and the Agency’s process for its air monitoring.   

• In St. John the Baptist Parish, the EPA used its authority to require the Denka facility to install fenceline monitors to identify sources of emissions onsite. These monitors will allow both the EPA and communities to better understand air pollutants through this quick and reliable system. This month, Denka complied with EPA’s request to install these monitors.  

• This week, EPA Region 6 also issued a Notice of Violation and Opportunity to Confer (NOVOC) to Nucor Steel Louisiana LLC in St. James Parish. The EPA notice requires Nucor to address unauthorized emissions of hydrogen sulfide and sulfuric acid mist, and exceedance of permitted limits for sulfur dioxide emissions at Nucor’s Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) facility. 

• In Mossville, the EPA will assess compliance at facilities that present potentially elevated risks to the community based on recent EPA helicopter flyovers and mobile air monitoring of the area. EPA also provided $38,886 for LDEQ to purchase a NAAQS quality PM 2.5 continuous monitor to be placed across the road from Sasol’s Lake Charles Complex. 

• The EPA will monitor and review the data and conduct an independent assessment to determine if NAAQS standards are exceeded in the Lake Charles area. The EPA will also conduct Technical System Audits on a rotating basis of the State’s monitoring system operations as well as reviewing LDEQ’s annual data certifications and LDEQ’s annual monitoring network plan.

• EPA Region 6 also issued a Notice of Potential Violation and Opportunity to Confer (NOPVOC) Letter to Sasol Chemicals USA, LLC. The Louisiana Sasol facility uses natural gas and by-products from refinery operations to produce specialty chemicals for detergents and cosmetics. The chemical complex uses or produces several regulated flammables such as ethylene, propane, butane, propylene, ethane, butane, hydrogen, methane and pentane. The EPA notice follows a January 2021 Compliance Evaluation conducted by inspectors from EPA Region 6 and LDEQ, and requires Sasol to address potential Risk Management Plan violations found during the inspection.

• In New Orleans’ Gordon Plaza neighborhood, residents have been negatively impacted by living on the former site of the Agriculture Street Landfill. As part of addressing their concerns, the EPA will now expedite a review of the site which was previously slated for review in 2023. Now, the accelerated review will begin in March 2022 and will include 9 homes that were not included in the previous review process. The Agency is taking this step to re-evaluate its previous decision, to communicate the results to the community, as well as consider future community-based solutions.

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WASHINGTON, D.C.  – This week, the bipartisan Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2022(H.R. 128) was introduced in the House of Representatives. Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. is the Democratic co-lead for the legislation and Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-3), Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, is the Republican co-lead.

The bill makes clear 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.

Established in 1976, the Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) is the independent voice for small businesses within the federal government. Advocacy 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 a number of international regulatory cooperation and international trade initiatives that have impacted small businesses, but their role would benefit from clarification in statute.

“Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, and we need to uplift them at every opportunity,” said Congressman Carter. “Louisiana's Second District is an international one. We have some of the most important ports in the country and our businesses here connect with others across the globe every day. Opening up new markets overseas helps our businesses here at home. This bill assures that our small business owners have someone in the federal government fighting for our nation’s small businesses at home and abroad.”

This legislation was previously passed the House in 2019 under leadership by House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Representative James Comer (R-KY).

"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 the House Small Business Committee, of which both Congressman Carter and Congressman Luetkemeyer are members.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Troy Carter released the following statement after the Senate attempt to change the filibuster rules and protect voting rights:

“The right to vote is the beating heartbeat of democracy, but it’s currently faltering.

As many states impose dangerous voting restrictions that make it more difficult for citizens to access the ballot, Congress can bring the defibrillator and keep the blood of our democracy pumping.

We cannot afford to wait.

We must take action at the federal level to enact protections nationwide. We must ensure that every eligible voter is granted their Constitutional right to vote.

These attacks at the state level and from elected officials undermining our election systems showcases the fragile pillars upon which our democratic principles are balanced.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act that the Senate considered tonight would shore up the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and implement voter protections that would overturn state laws that limit early voting and other important voter access measures.

Policies like these have historically experienced bipartisan support, enjoying reauthorization by both Democratic and Republican Presidents.

However, something has changed of late, with nearly every Senate Republican lining up in unwavering opposition to these voting rights bills.

Why, we must ask? Why are they so afraid of letting the people vote?

I want to make something clear: the majority of Senators in the chamber today support both of these voting rights measures.

However, it is a travesty that every single one of the nation’s GOP Senators, plus two Democratic members, have chosen to prioritize the rule of the filibuster over the sacred right to vote.

The Senate has made exceptions to the filibuster many times – 163 times in its history, to be exact. The last two were just last month.

Policy as critical to the lifeblood of our democracy such as voter protections absolutely deserve the same treatment.

The model of bipartisanship that Senators Manchin and Sinema tout so fiercely has not worked out so well for Black Americans in the past.

In fact, the Voting Rights Act passed the Senate on a purely party-line basis.

That means that if the current 60-vote iteration of the filibuster was in place back in 1965, Black Americans would not have been granted the same voting rights as their fellow Americans.

Unless we act, widespread disenfranchisement in favor of a single party is dangerously close to reality.

The people’s voice could be silenced.

Today, members of the Senate have gone on record for their support or opposition of voting rights.

The roll has been called. We know where they stand.

Now, both history books and voters will hold them accountable.

As a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a son of the South, today’s results in the Senate are personal.

Black Americans and our allies in justice have sacrificed so much and fought for so long for the civil rights we hold dear.

We have bled, cried, and died for the ballot.

One thing is for certain: though we are stymied by the Senate today, we are not done.  The fight is not over.

In every fashion, and in every avenue, we will continue the battle to protect the sacred right to vote and strengthen the very foundation of our democracy.”

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