[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14371]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   IN SUPPORT OF THE ``DELTA QUEEN''

  (Mr. COHEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, 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.

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