William L. Clay: “Mr. Speaker, I want to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in paying tribute to my fellow Missourian, the…”

“Mr. Speaker, I want to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in paying tribute to my fellow Missourian, the gentle man from Missouri, Bill Emerson, and to thank the gentleman from Missouri for bringing this resolution before the House. I joined the Congress a year and a half ago, but I have long admired Mr. Emerson's ability to build bridges between this aisle, which oftentimes is very wide. He made friends with his engaging personality and he kept them with his honest and fair approach to lawmaking. I had the opportunity to serve with him on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure where he was a wonderful mentor to me. We worked together to bring Federal assistance to Missouri, to three grossly deteriorated bridges across the State, the Chouteau Bridge in my district and Representative Danner's district, the Hannibal Bridge in Representative Volkmer's district, and a bridge in Cape Girardeau, which I hope will one day bear his name in tribute to his great efforts in this Congress. We must never forget Representative Emerson's commitment to upholding the integrity of this body, and we must embrace his cooperative spirit, which I hope will guide us through the remainder of this 104th Congress and the challenges that face us. It has been an honor to have served with him, and he will be missed by all of us.”