On the recordSeptember 25, 2013
I am pleased today that the House just passed H.R. 1961. It gives the Delta Queen another opportunity to go up and down the Mississippi River. The Delta Queen is a national treasure that, for 80 years, took passengers up and down the river and, of course, stopped in my hometown of Memphis. On its last trip, about 3 or 4 years ago, I was there to witness the Queen's last trip. And it was an emotional time for a lot of Memphians who really revere the river and the traffic thereon. There were issues about safety; but those issues, I think, are satisfied, the concerns of people. There were ocean standards put to a riverboat, which were improper. The unions that opposed this in the past came to be for it. The bill passed, and it's important that it did. The Delta Queen is a safe vessel that will provide a wonderful experience for people traveling up and down the Mississippi River, America's greater river. It's a treasure, a piece of history. It's also economic development for the region. So I thank my colleagues for supporting both the Delta Queen and the communities along the river; and I look forward to a nice trip on the Delta Queen one time, and a julep to boot. ____________________
