I HAVE signed H.R. 13326, which will extend until November 1, 1983, the existing exemption of the steamboat Delta Queen from the requirements of Public Law 89-777, regarding safety laws applicable to ships. This exemption is needed to permit the Delta Queen to operate on overnight cruises after November 1, 1978.
The Delta Queen, a historic paddle wheel riverboat, was built in 1928 and has been operating on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers since that time. It was entered on the National Register of historic vessels in 1970. Its preservation as a symbol of Americana is important to the people of this Nation to whom our national heritage means so much. This legislation will preserve a splendid reminder of America's past.
Note: As enacted, H.R. 13326, approved October 17, 1976, is Public Law 94-535 (90 Stat. 2496).
Gerald R. Ford, Statement on Signing the Bill Exempting the Delta Queen From Certain Safety Laws. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/242035