[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 25, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H6797-H6799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      BILL EMERSON MEMORIAL BRIDGE

  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
speaker's table the Senate bill (S. 1903) to designate the bridge, 
estimated to be completed in the year 2000, that replaces the bridge on 
Missouri Highway 74 spanning from East Cape Girardeau, IL, to Cape 
Girardeau, MO, as the ``Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge'', and for other 
purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I certainly 
do not mean to object, but I would yield to the gentleman from 
Wisconsin for the purposes of explaining the bill.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, the bill would designate the bridge to be 
constructed to replace the Cape Girardeau Bridge in Missouri in honor 
of our late colleague, Bill Emerson, who passed away last weekend.
  Bill truly was a man of the House. He first came to Washington at the 
age of 15 when he was appointed to serve as a House page. He returned 
in 1961 and worked on the staff of several Members. After working in 
the private sector, Bill was elected to the House in 1980 and has won 
each election since, serving on both the Agriculture and Transportation 
and Infrastructure Committees.
  I had the honor of serving with Bill on the Transportation Committee 
and always found him to be hardworking, and dedicated to his beliefs 
and serving his constituents in Missouri. He was never afraid to state 
his views or take on an issue, and it was one of many traits that we 
admired about Bill. I remember well his good humor and straightforward 
manner, even when the committee was considering controversial or 
difficult matters. But make no mistake, you always knew exactly how he 
felt about an issue.
  In the end, Bill demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of 
his illness this year, and he would not, and did not, let it interfere 
with his daily responsibilities here and in his district.
  We extend our condolences to his wife, Jo Ann, to his children, 
Elizabeth, Abigail, Victoria, and Katharine, and to his staff who 
worked with him over the years. The Transportation Committee and this 
House have suffered a great loss and we will truly miss Bill Emerson.
  I urge passage of S. 1903.
  Mr. RAHALL. Reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman for his 
explanation and I join him in supporting this bill.
  It is indeed fitting that the least we can do to honor Bill Emerson 
is to name the bridge that is to be constructed in Cape Girardeau in 
his memory.
  Sine 1980, Bill Emerson served with great distinction on the Public 
Works and Transportation Committee, now known as the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, working on behalf of the people of 
the Eighth Congressional District of Missouri.
  In fact, a particular bridge we are naming in his honor today has 
been a priority transportation improvement project for him, and funds 
were earmarked for it in the National Highway System designation bill 
that I managed in the last Congress when I served as chairman of the 
Surface Transportation Subcommittee.
  As we all know and have heard today, Mr. Emerson, our dear friend, 
was a gentleman, a great legislator, a family man and a friend to all 
of us. His memory will stay with us for many years.
  Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. RAHALL. I yield to the gentleman from Missouri.

                              {time}  1745

  Mr. VOLKMER. This is something that Bill Emerson worked on for about 
10 years, and working together, he with a bridge in Cape Girardeau, I 
with a bridge in Hannibal, both across the Mississippi, and also with 
the Chouteau Bridge in Kansas City. Bill was instrumental in bringing 
this all about and this is a very appropriate designation in his honor.

[[Page H6798]]

  I can remember back when I was out at the Cape with others in April, 
his mom made me promise that when we got the bridge in Hannibal they 
would have a bridge in Cape Girardeau, and that is happening. And Bill 
is going to have the best view of anybody. As his mother said, ``Bill 
will have the best view of this bridge than anybody else.'' Bill, good 
luck.
  Mr. RAHALL. Continuing my reservation of objection, Mr. Speaker, I 
yield to the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Sisisky].
  Mr. SISISKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I 
am delighted this bridge is going to be built and now named after Bill 
Emerson. I did not know Bill Emerson real well up until last year. We 
did not serve on the same committees, we were not neighbors and things, 
but let me just tell my colleagues a little bit. We both got cancer at 
the same time. Mine was operable and, thank goodness, I am just about 
cured and doing well. But our friendship developed over this. We 
compared notes on getting chemotherapy. It is strange.
  He used to tell me all the time, ``You are going to get better, Norm; 
you are going to get better.'' Thank God, he was right. And I kept 
telling him he was going to get better. He did not get better.
  There is something here that I want Members to understand. At one 
time I made a speech on the floor and started crying that I was very 
fortunate that I was able to get prescreening, and when they were 
taking the prescreening out of the Medicare it did not bother me 
because I could afford to get prescreening. But it is so important to 
find this dreaded disease early. We put it back in now, the leadership 
put it back into the budget, which I am very grateful for, and it 
should have been basically in honor of Bill Emerson. It is a dread 
disease.
  But I would like to say something else. I know we are not supposed to 
talk about some of the things that we get in the House, but there is a 
doctor downstairs, a Dr. Eisold, who came up here every night to check 
on Bill and I to see how we were doing at the late hours. And Bill and 
I talked about that and were go grateful just for the caring. They 
cared, and that was important. And Bill cared.
  I used to tell him sometimes at 10 o'clock at night, I said, ``Bill, 
why don't you go home?'' He said, ``Why don't you go home? I said, 
``Well, you know, people are paying me.'' He said, ``They are paying 
me, too, and I am going to stay here. I am going to stay here.'' And I 
tell my colleagues he stayed when he could hardly breathe, and it 
showed courage. I just cannot say what a loss this is.
  I give my sympathy to his family, to a very great and courageous 
person.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, continuing under my reservation of 
objection, I yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri [Ms. Danner], a 
member of our Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
  Ms. DANNER. Mr. Speaker, it is and has been my privilege to serve on 
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure with our late friend 
Bill Emerson. Many of us will remember the song that was so popular 
some years ago called ``Bridge Over Troubled Waters,'' and figuratively 
speaking a lot of times troubled waters seem to trickle down this 
center aisle separating the two sides of this chamber. Bill served as 
such an effective bridge when that would happen.
  By definition bridges are structures that stretch over divided areas 
that are best linked together. I believe that is an apt metaphor for 
Bill Emerson's service to our Nation. He brought Democrats and 
Republicans together on so many issues where we really never should 
have been apart.
  It was a real pleasure to have the opportunity to work with him in 
committee on funding and working on these authorization bills for the 
three bridges, one which serves his district, one which serves my 
district, and one which serves the district of the gentleman from 
Missouri, Congressman Volkmer.
  What really more fitting structure to name after Bill Emerson than a 
bridge; he, who, as I said earlier, served as a bridge, and a bridge 
named in his honor over his beloved Mississippi River serving his 
deeply loved Cape Girardeau.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, continuing under my reservation of 
objection, I yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut [Mrs. Kennelly].
  Mrs. KENNELLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for 
yielding, and I would like to take this moment to stand and give my 
sympathy to Bill Emerson's family.
  As the gentlewoman from Missouri, Ms. Danner, just said, when I think 
of Bill I can think of a bridge also. A bridge is strong. It can carry 
people from one part to the other over the turbulent waters. We could 
not help but watch Bill Emerson and know that he was a strong man, 
physically strong and mentally strong. He was strong like a bridge. He 
could take any weight and he did not complain.
  As we sit and watch each other on the floor of the House, we cannot 
help but look at people and get to know them, and we understand what 
makes them. I loved to watch Bill Emerson, because he was a strong man, 
a determined man, a proud man. Bill Emerson liked what he was doing. He 
was proud to be the Representative from Missouri to the Congress of the 
United States of America. He was proud to represent his constituents 
and he was proud to do it in a frame that was positive.
  How perfect a bridge is for a man like Bill Emerson. Bill could take 
that side of the aisle and this side of the aisle and make a complete 
bridge going back and forth, working with his people on his side, 
working with Democrats on this side. I think we all know from what has 
been said this afternoon, Bill Emerson was a bridge, a bridge that we 
all would like to be so that this body could work.
  I think Bill Emerson is the kind of man that all of us want to be, 
men and women; a woman wants to be like that as a woman and man as a 
man, because he understood this body. He understood what made it work. 
He understood one had to go to the committee meetings; he understood 
one had to do the homework; he understood that a bill was brought to 
the floor of the House and Members argued what they believed in and 
what they thought was right, and that was how the work got done. Bill 
Emerson represents this body in its very finest form.
  As a woman who lost her husband just this year, I want to say to Mrs. 
Emerson and to Bill's daughters, right now he is still with you. It is 
too soon. He has really not gone from you, but you will miss him so, so 
much. And you have no idea how much you will miss him. But let me say 
to you today, as we all thank you for letting us know Bill Emerson, 
letting him be part of us, as he was you, let me say to you that if it 
was not for people like you, Mrs. Emerson, and if it was not for Bill's 
 daughters, we could not have Members of Congress like Bill Emerson.
  Because it is only when a family lets somebody go to Congress and 
lets them do their thing, lets them submerge themselves in this work, 
because to be a Member of Congress, to work here and to work at home 
takes incredible hours, hours away from a beloved wife or husband, 
hours away from children.
  So let me say to the Emerson family, we do appreciate what you did. 
We do appreciate your letting Bill be with us. He did wonderful things 
for this country, and you were very kind and generous to let him serve 
in this body as long as he did. He loved this body as he loved you, and 
it was all one, as he was a magnificent Member of Congress.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of objection, I am 
glad to yield to the gentleman from Florida, [Mr. Diaz-Balart].
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday at church I mentioned to some 
ladies before mass began that a dear colleague in Congress was gravely 
ill and that it seemed that he would soon leave us. I knew not then 
that Bill Emerson had passed away the day before, on Saturday. I told 
those ladies at church that our colleague was a very special man, a 
very, very good man, who always uplifted our spirits even if by 
exchanging just a few passing words on the floor of this House.
  Mr. Speaker, what a privilege it was to have been able to work with 
Bill Emerson. I know that we all pray for him in the firm belief that 
he is now in paradise and I am truly thankful for the opportunity to 
have know him.

[[Page H6799]]

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill to 
designate the ``Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge'' in honor of our 
colleague who passed away this past, Saturday June 22.
  Bill was a valuable member of the Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee who understood the critical role of infrastructure in our 
society today. So it is particularly appropriate that this replacement 
bridge in Cape Girardeau, MO--which Bill worked to secure funding for--
is to be named in his memory.
  Over the many years we served together on the Transportation 
Committee, I came to appreciate Bill's dedication to our issues. He was 
a hard worker and a Member you knew you could count on when the chips 
were down.
  Bill always spoke his mind and was not afraid to take a stand on 
tough issues that he believed in. He remained true to this convictions 
and yet knew how to compromise in order to achieve his goals.
  Bill first came to Washington at the age of 15 when he was appointed 
a page in the House. After serving as a congressional staffer and in 
the private sector, he ran for Congress and won the 1980 election. 
While in the House, he also served on the Agriculture Committee, which 
was of great importance to his southeastern Missouri district.
  The quick action on the part of both the Senate and the House in 
passing this legislation is a true indication of the respect and 
admiration we all feel for Bill.
  I want to express my sympathies to Bill's family--his wife, Jo Ann, 
and his daughters, Elizabeth, Abigail, Victoria, and Katharine.
  Bill will be missed here in the House. In recognition of his many 
years of dedicated service, I urge the House to approve this bill to 
name the ``Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge.''
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McInnis). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the Senate bill, as follows:

                                S. 1903

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF BILL EMERSON BRIDGE.

       The bridge, estimated to be completed in the year 2000, 
     that replaces the bridge on highway 74 spanning from East 
     Cape Girardeau, Illinois, to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, shall 
     be known and designated as the ``Bill Emerson Memorial 
     Bridge''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the bridge referred 
     to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
     ``Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge''.

  The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the 
third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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