NEW ORLEANS – The Propeller Club of the U.S. Port of New Orleans will honor Congressman Steve Scalise as their 2018 Maritime Person of the Year at their 85th Annual Maritime Person of the Year Gala on Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel Convention Center. There will be a 7 p.m. cocktail reception, followed by an 8 p.m. dinner and award presentation. The announcement was made on Oct. 22 in a press release.
Scalise represents the First Congressional District of Louisiana. He was elected to Congress in May of 2008 after serving in the Louisiana State Legislature from 1996 through 2008. He currently serves his colleagues as the House Majority Whip, the third highest position for House Republicans.
"Congressman Steve Scalise is an ardent supporter of our nation’s maritime industry and leader of efforts to protect navigation on the Mississippi River Ship Channel," said Sean Duffy, committee chairman for the Maritime Person of the Year, and the ex-officio of the Propeller Club of the U.S. Port of New Orleans.
"The Congressman actively engages with leaders of the navigation industry, via his Maritime Advisory Group, although lately much of the discussion is focused on thanking the congressman for his support," he added. "The congressman’s support, leadership and ability to work across the aisle will be critical to the effort to deepen the Mississippi River Ship Channel to 50 feet."
Louisiana’s First Congressional District is home to both the highest domestic maritime employment of any congressional district and the gateway to the Mississippi River. Since being elected to Congress, Scalise has successfully advocated for biennial Water Resource Development Acts (WRDA), which include necessary improvements and increased funding to the Corps of Engineers, and has authorized or modified critical flood protection and deepening projects nationwide, including the deepening of the Mississippi River to post-Panamax levels.
“Louisiana is our nation’s gateway to the world for commerce, so it is vitally important we continue to be globally competitive in shipping capacity. Deepening the Mississippi River Ship Channel is very important for Louisiana, and is also strategically important to the nation as a whole," said House Majority Whip Steve Scalise. I have consistently fought to move this project forward in Congress, and I will continue working with my colleagues to make sure it is funded as soon as possible.”
Due to his work and commitment to reforming and restoring maritime infrastructure, Congressman Scalise was recently named the Champion of Maritime by the American Maritime Partnership.
A native of Jefferson Parish, Scalise graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School and Louisiana State University, where he earned a degree in computer science and a minor in political science. He's married to the former Jennifer Letulle; they have two children, Madison and Harrison.
You can read his full biography here.