On April 4th, 2017, the Senate passed legislation that exempts the Delta Queen from the 1966 Safety at Sea law. The bill now moves to the House where it needs to be approved as well in order for the Delta Queen to be able to run again as cruise ship on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

A similar bill has been passing the House in 2013 but then got stuck in the Senate and never made it to the floor.

The political situation has changed since then and the new bill (S.89) this time passed the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote 85 – 12.