Troy A. Carter

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and honor the life of a remarkable humanitarian, community servant, human rights activist, and my fellow Kappa Alpha Psi brother, someone I considered to be a dear friend, the late Dr. Levon Aldon LeBan. His commitment to social justice transformed Louisiana and had a profound impact on this entire Nation. A United States Army veteran, minister, and retired educator, he served the New Orleans Parish Schools for over 20 years, with multiple accolades--including ``Teacher of the Year.'' He was not a man who loved power, but he deeply understood the power of LOVE, and his light impacted those both near and far.

A seventh-generation Louisianan, Dr. LeBan was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is a graduate of the public school system. He completed undergraduate studies at Southern University and A&M College and Southern University at New Orleans, earning a B.S. and B.A. degree, respectively. He earned a Master of Science degree from Prairie View A&M University in Texas, a Master of Social Work degree from Southern University at New Orleans, and a Master of Divinity from Bethel Bible College. He also earned a Doctor of Theology degree from the American College and Theological Seminary. He received a Doctor of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry, honoris causa. He completed additional studies at the University of New Orleans and the University of Maryland, College Park. While at Maryland, he participated in a study with the U.S. Agency for International Development to examine socio-economic systems in Puerto Rico, USA. Twice selected as a Fulbright Scholar, Dr. LeBan studied in Zimbabwe in 1995 and the Republic of South Africa in 2000. His travels in Africa also included Swaziland, Zambia, and Mozambique.

In 1979, he was employed as a Researcher by Texas A&M University in Waller County and served for over twenty years with Orleans Parish Schools. He was elected ``Teacher of the Year'' at Washington High, Cohen High, and Walker Middle Schools. He also taught at San Jacinto College (Texas), the University of Maryland, and Tulane University Graduate School of Social Work. As a member of the American Association of Suicidology, Dr. LeBan supervised the crisis hotline for the Volunteer and Information Agency for several years, then founded the Crisis Institute of Mediation, Intervention & Training--a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. He has written over 80 journal articles and papers, many of which were featured in the ``Africa Rising'' section of a New Orleans publication, the Louisiana Weekly. Dr. LeBan also published: ''Masonic Silk Stocking--History of a Louisiana Lodge,'' and ``History of the New Orleans Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.'' He served as the Historian for the Southwestern Province of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, covering New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Dr. LeBan most recently served as the President of the Louisiana Retired Teachers Association (LRTA) for District 1 (Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard Parishes). In 2024, received the prestigious LRTA ``Name of Fame'' Medallion in Houma, Louisiana.

As a citizen soldier, Dr. LeBan served five years in the United States Army. In 1986, he was selected as ``Soldier of the Year'' for the 122nd Army Reserve Command (Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas). He served several years as an instructor with the 4152nd USAR School and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal with Four Oak-leaf Clusters. He served as the first African American President of the Alliance for Good Government, Orleans Chapter.

In 1983, he was licensed and ordained as a minister of the gospel and served seven years as Senior Pastor of ``Walk in the Light'' Interdenominational Church and three years as Associate Pastor of ``Jesus Never Fails'' Ministry of New Orleans. He is the first African American to serve as the Disaster Spiritual Care Louisiana Regional Lead for the American Red Cross. Dr. LeBan also serves as a Chaplain with the Association. He is a member of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) Emotional and Spiritual Care Committee and the National Disaster Spiritual Care Leadership Cadre.

Though an accomplished researcher and skilled writer, he supervised a crisis hotline in our city, established intervention strategies for handling crisis situations, and led spiritual care for the American Red Cross in Louisiana--aiding victims of natural disasters. Dr. LeBan has completed numerous humanitarian deployments with the American Red Cross, assisting individuals and families impacted by disasters throughout Louisiana since 2016. Some of his humanitarian efforts around the country include Wildfires in Maui, Hawaii; Typhoon in Guam, United States of America; Atmospheric Floods in San Jose, California; Hurricane Michael in Macon, Georgia; Oil Rig Tragedy in Port Fourchon, Louisiana; Tornado in Little Rock, Arkansas; Atmospheric Floods in Vallejo, California; Hurricane Fiona in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky; Flash Flooding in Central Tennessee; Floods in Eastern Kentucky, Texas; Mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas: Tornado in Southern Kentucky; Hurricane Harvey in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Houston, Texas; Floods in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Tornadoes in the Metropolitan New Orleans area. He currently serves as the first African American Louisiana Lead for Disaster Spiritual Care and Community Engagement/Partnerships with the American Red Cross.

A life member of the NAACP since 1979, he has held various offices at the local and state levels and was thrice elected the Louisiana State Conference Vice President. Dr. LeBan was currently serving as the 5th elected President of the New Orleans Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)--the oldest affiliate of SCLC in the Nation at the time of his passing. In 2019, the SCLC New Orleans Chapter was selected as the Interlebal SCLC Chapter of the Year, please see hyperlink below: https://sclcnola.org. From the military to the educational system, his fraternity, philanthropy, and ministry, Levon's life was one of service to his community. I thank Dr. LeBan's family for letting him be a part of our lives. I thank Dr. LeBan for his extraordinary contributions. His legacy will live forever and continue to light our paths toward a more just society. We salute the life and legacy of this dear man of God and send our deepest condolences to his family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2715, the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, which I introduced with my Louisiana colleague Representative Clay Higgins.

This bill will protect American consumers and create a level playing field for American businesses by authorizing the Food and Drug Administration to order the destruction of imported products found to pose a significant public health concern.

Under current law, foreign exporters can ship contaminated or counterfeit products to the U.S. knowing they can withdraw the shipment if FDA flags it. They can then try to enter through a different port where the shipment may not be caught, a practice known as port shopping. This loophole endangers our health and undermines our food and drug safety systems.

This bill authorizes the Food and Drug Administration to require an importer to destroy an FDA-regulated product that was refused entry into the U.S. because it poses a significant public health concern with the cost of the destruction at the importer's expense. This bill also prohibits the unauthorized movement of any article designated for destruction by the FDA.

Some imported foods, especially seafood, have been found to be contaminated with carcinogenic drugs, pesticides, and other harmful impurities.

Beyond food, there has been a rise in imports of dangerous vape devices and e-liquids containing banned substances and excessive nicotine, as well as counterfeit drugs like GLP-1s.

This threat is real and documented. Exporters, especially Chinese exporters, have been caught resubmitting rejected shipments at different ports. This bill closes that loophole and creates a deterrent for bad actors.

Congressman Higgins and I have worked hand in hand with our domestic fishing industry on this legislation, including the Southern Shrimp Alliance. American fishermen perform backbreaking work and operate under strict U.S. food safety, labor, and environmental rules that raise their costs significantly. Meanwhile, some foreign producers cut corners and still get multiple chances to dump noncompliant and often dangerous products into the American marketplace.

Seafood imports continue to pour into the United States, increasing in

volume each year, undercutting domestic fishermen. Last year, the U.S. imported 6.4 billion pounds of foreign seafood, a 10 percent increase from 2019.

As imports have increased, American commercial seafood landings have declined. In 2024, the U.S. commercial landings totaled 7.7 billion pounds, the first time landings have been below 8 billion pounds since 1988.

Louisiana's commercial fishing industry has particularly been hit hard by this flood of foreign imports. Since 2021, Louisiana shrimpers have seen the value of their catch drop by more than 50 percent, falling from $131 million in 2021 to just $61 million in 2024. As you can see, this is, in fact, a real threat.

Passing this bill will deter bad actors from flooding the market with unsafe products and provide American fishermen with a fair playing field, allowing them to sustainably harvest millions of additional pounds of shrimp and other seafood each year.

This is a real issue, and I am proud to be working in a bipartisan way to address an issue that will impact not just Louisiana but our entire country.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this critical legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2821, the FDA Modernization Act 3.0, introduced by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

I am proud to co-lead this bill with him and a bipartisan group of my colleagues: Representatives Barragan, Buchanan, DeLauro, and Harshbarger.

Over 3 years ago, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 was signed into law, allowing the agency to approve human drugs without requiring animal testing through modern, often more effective, alternatives.

Despite this progress, the FDA has still not issued updated regulations to clarify where alternatives to animal testing are, in fact, permissible.

This legislation takes action to close the gap by requiring the FDA to fully implement the reforms that Congress has already enacted and to help reduce unnecessary animal testing in drug development. By ensuring the full implementation of the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, this legislation will help modernize and transform drug development for the 21st century; accelerate safer, more effective medical breakthroughs; and advance more humane scientific research.

This is long overdue. We see the unnecessary slaughtering of animals for research when there are other alternatives that may be, in fact, more humane, more effective, and more cost effective, yet we continue to do the same thing as if.

I am proud to be a part of this bill that will go a long way toward protecting lives, advancing technological scientific finds, and creating a better, more humane system. Overall, our bill is a big win for patients, a big win for innovation, and a big win for animal welfare.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on passing this critical legislation.