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NEW ORLEANS, L.A. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. announced the first round of investments in repairing Louisiana’s bridges under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Congressman Carter put in the hours with his committee colleagues and White House contacts to mark-up and ultimately pass this historic investment for our nation and Louisiana. The Infrastructure Law will specifically provide $202.7 million for Louisiana’s bridges in Fiscal Year 2022, which is just the first installment of a historic total $1 billion investment in the state’s bridges over the next five years.

Congressman Carter was the only member of Louisiana’s U.S. House delegation to vote for the Infrastructure Law. However, benefits from the program’s billion-dollar investments will be felt in every parish and every corner of the state.

The funds announced today will soon be sent to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for distribution.

Louisiana has the third largest bridge infrastructure in the nation when the number of bridges and bridge size is accounted for. Currently, there are 7,846 state owned bridges, with 795 needing major rehabilitation or replacement, and 4,736 locally owned bridges, with 793 in need of rehabilitation or replacement.

According to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, some of the bridge projects that will advance this year thanks to this funding include, among others:

• US 90Z Harvey Canal Tunnel Rehabilitation in Jefferson Parish
• US 61 Jefferson Highway Overpass Repair in East Baton Rouge Parish
• LA 47 Intracoastal Waterway Gulf Outlet Bridge Rehabilitation in Orleans Parish
• LA 404 Bayou and Canal Bridges in Iberville Parish

“The Infrastructure Law is delivering real, results for our community, and I am proud to have been a key part of bringing these investments to life through my work on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,” said Congressman Carter. “Repairing our bridges will make our community safer, create jobs in our local economy, allow commerce to move more efficiently, and help us stay connected. The first part of my districtwide ‘Building a Better Louisiana Infrastructure Tour’ last month celebrated several projects across the Second Congressional District that will make daily life better for Louisianians. With the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, today’s funding announcement makes clear that the impacts of the Infrastructure Law are wide-reaching, and will fundamentally change Louisiana for the better, from the ground up.”

An audio recording of the Congressman’s above quote is available here.

The investment announced today is designed to help Louisiana repair local bridges that are critical for getting to school and work, moving commerce, and connecting communities. The Infrastructure Law also includes a separate program designed to support larger bridges through a competitive grant program. Details on that program will be announced at a later date.

For more information on the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Formula Program funding to states click here. 

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 NEW ORLEANS, L.A. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. shared two federal funding announcements that will help the people of Louisiana rebuild from Hurricanes Ida and Laura, recover from COVID-19, and lower home energy for families this winter. The grants and programs are funded by the American Rescue Plan and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), respectively.

Louisiana has already experienced cold and variable temperatures this winter. A new report from the White House outlines how Congress delivered funds to nearly double the annual investment to help Louisiana’s families afford energy costs. In total, Congressman Carter helped secure $91.7 million for Louisiana through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the American Rescue Plan and annual appropriations. As Americans continue to deal with the impacts of the pandemic and high energy costs, Louisiana’s families and seniors can use this funding to help cover the costs of staying warm this winter, by paying utility bills and for energy repairs. 

Local families who need assistance should contact the Housing Finance Manager for the Louisiana Housing Corporation Energy Assistance Department. Contact information here.

“As hardworking Louisianians continue recovering from the pandemic and recent storms, this investment is helping families afford energy costs and stay warm, safe and healthy this winter,” said Congressman Carter.

Click here to read the new White House report for Louisiana.

Also this week, FEMA announced reimbursement funding for efforts in Louisiana to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency and recover from Hurricanes Laura and Ida.

“These intersecting and overlapping disasters have brought enormous challenges to many Louisianians over the past two years,” said Congressman Carter. “This funding demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to helping Louisiana recover in the face of hurricanes and COVID-19.”

This funding includes the following awards:

Louisiana Housing Finance Agency (LHFA), $27.1 million. 100% federal cost share

This is a full reimbursement payment for emergency protective measures the state conducted to provide non-congregate sheltering services, food, and personal hygiene supplies for those unhoused or displaced due to hurricanes during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Jefferson Parish, $33.7 million, 100% federal cost share

This repayment will cover the costs the Parish incurred conducting essential sewer and sewage maintenance during Hurricane Ida.

St. Charles Parish, $5.3 million, 90% federal cost share

This funding will allow St. Charles Parish to recover costs spent on debris removal and road/vegetation clearing during Hurricane Laura in 2020.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the first anniversary of the January 6^th attack on the United States Capitol, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. released the following statement:

“Like most Americans, I witnessed the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol through the television screen — I was still running for election to the House of Representatives.

Even from a thousand miles away, the insurrectionist’s brutal and conspiracy-driven attack on our democratic system and this sacred building shook me to my core.

I honor the experiences and bravery of the Capitol Police,  Members of Congress, staff, and law enforcement who went through this traumatic event and I stand with the work of the Select Committee on the January 6 Attack to determine the full truth and keep seditionists accountable.

Congress must strengthen the pillars of our beloved American democracy to ensure that we both protect the voting and civil rights of our citizenry, and never see another dark day like January 6th again.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. introduced the Necessary Entrepreneurship Workshops via the SBA to Transform and Assist Re-Entry Training Act of 2021, or the NEW START Act of 2021. This legislation would expand entrepreneurship opportunities for the formerly incarcerated to reduce recidivism and provide economic stability as they rejoin the economy.

An estimated 60 percent of formerly incarcerated individuals are still unemployed a year after their release, and as a group they experience an unemployment rate higher than total unemployment during the Great Depression. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, maintaining stable employment after release lowers the likelihood that individuals will return to prison, promoting public safety and saving public dollars.

“The formerly incarcerated already face significant barriers to re-entering the workforce and can feel utterly locked out of the labor market,” said Congressman Carter. “Especially as our economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to jump at the chance to help get people back to work and back on their feet. Entrepreneurship should be one of the tools that returning citizens have access to as they re-enter society. Support in starting a business can help people overcome barriers and may dramatically lower recidivism rates. The NEW START Act of 2021 is a path forward for people to rejoin the greater community and for our nation to achieve a more equitable economic recovery.”

Specifically, the NEW START Act of 2021:

• Establishes a five-year pilot reentry program within the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide entrepreneurial development training to formerly incarcerated individuals.
• Requires the SBA Administrator to award annual grants over a five-year period to at least six geographically diverse organizations or partnerships of organizations, to deliver business counseling to formerly incarcerated individuals.
  • The organizations must demonstrate ties with the business and returning citizen communities.
• In addition, organizations are required to partner with lenders in the existing SBA Microloan Program who will provide microloans (up to $50,000) to qualifying participants. This program is not intended to supplant or take away from the traditional Microloan Program and the SBA does not guarantee microloans.
• Requires several reports on the effectiveness, overall performance, and impact of the program on grant recipients.

This legislation mirrors the 2019 Senate bill from Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee.

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BATON ROUGE, L.A. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. concluded the first installment of his districtwide ‘Building a Better Louisiana Infrastructure Tour’ celebrating the real-life impact that investments from the Infrastructure Law will bring to Louisiana’s Second Congressional District.

During his four events, he highlighted $41.6 million for the IWGO Green Bridge in New Orleans East, $30 million for the Gramercy Veterans Memorial Bridge connecting St. James and St. John the Baptist Parish, $108 billion for public transportation investments nationwide, up to $102 billion for passenger rail projects nationwide, and $110 million in annual funding for the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) through 2025. At these events he was joined by dozens of public officials from the state and local level.

Based on data from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, there are at least 10 bridges and 41 roadway improvement projects in the Second Congressional district that without funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, would not have been sure to have been slated for action in Fiscal Year 2022. These projects represent a total investment of at least $335.5 million in Congressman’s Carter congressional district just for road and bridge projects that are scheduled for letting dates next year. In all, Louisiana can expect at least $7 billion in investments from the Infrastructure Law.

In 2022 Congressman Carter will continue his announcements and celebrations of projects that Infrastructure Law will bring to life in Louisiana’s Second Congressional District. Photos from the first leg of the tour are available here. Videos of the press conferences from each event are available upon request.

In Baton Rouge today, Congressman Carter emphasized the benefits that the bipartisan Infrastructure Law will bring to Louisiana’s minority business community and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).

“By passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, President Biden and Congress are recognizing the role minority-owned businesses play in building a stronger and more equitable economy, and investing in their long-term success,” said Congressman Carter. “We need economic development that lifts all boats, and that’s why the Infrastructure Law makes the MBDA a permanent part of the Department of Commerce and more than doubles its previous yearly budget. This long-term investment will allow the agency to expand, innovate, create partnerships and reach more people.

“But the Infrastructure Law doesn’t stop there,” the Congressman continued. “Historically, minority-owned businesses have been systemically excluded from securing lucrative contracts for infrastructure work. The Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act also includes provisions to give our minority-owned and local businesses an opportunity to participate in the rebuilding of their communities.”

At this event, the Congressman was joined by Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, Louisiana MBDA Business Center Director Charletta Fortson, State Senator Regina Barrow, State Representative Edmund Jordan, State Representative C. Denise Marcelle, State Representative Barbara Carpenter, Councilwoman Chauna Banks, Southern University Chancellor John Pierre, Louisiana MBDA Center staff, and Louisiana MBDA Center clients.

Federal agency officials also weighed in on the significance of the Infrastructure Law’s investments in the nation’s minority-owned businesses.

“I want to thank Representative Carter for his hard work passing the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “For too long, we’ve neglected investments in critical areas that directly impact American workers, American businesses, and American families. One historic achievement in this bill is the codification of the Minority Business Development Agency at the Department of Commerce, which is the only federal agency solely dedicated to the economic development of minority businesses. This historic provision establishes MBDA as a vital resource to minority businesses and the nonprofits that serve them—assisting in their formation, access to capital, and growth. America’s road to economic recovery runs through minority businesses, and our country will never fully recover without them. Thanks to Representative Carter’s tireless effort, Louisiana’s minority businesses have a full partner in MBDA.”

“I am glad that Congressman Troy Carter is highlighting these important provisions within the bipartisan Infrastructure Law and their positive impacts on the people and businesses of southeast Louisiana,” said Miguel Estien, MBDA’s Acting National Director. “This law elevates the status of the Minority Business Development Agency, making it permanent. This is a very, very exciting time for MBDA and all minority businesses. Let me put the importance of this legislation in perspective. Empowered with permanent Agency status, the MBDA will have a substantial enhancement of delivery capabilities with respect to every service we provide.

 Director Estien continued, “The law assigns an Under Secretary for the Agency, a mandate to launch Rural Business Centers, the authority to serve as the point agency within the federal government in matters concerning minority businesses – and a host of other consequential changes in the structure of MBDA. These monumental changes at MBDA will in turn open more doors, shatter glass walls and ceilings . . . and properly position the MBDA to play a major role in leveling the business playing field.”

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