LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION paying tribute to the life and accomplishments of
former New York State Congressman and Buffalo Bills quarterback Jack
Kemp

WHEREAS, It is with great sorrow and deep regret that this Legislative
Body records the passing of former New York State Congressman and
Buffalo Bills quarterback Jack Kemp, noting the significance of his
purposeful life and accomplishments; and
WHEREAS, A Congressman from Western New York from 1971 to 1989, Jack
Kemp also served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under
President George H. W. Bush and was the nominee for Vice President in
1996; and
WHEREAS, Jack Kemp was a staunch believer in supply-side economic
theory and using tax cuts to promote economic growth; his Kemp-Roth
legislation granting a 23 percent tax cut over three years was enacted
in 1981; and
WHEREAS, Before embarking on his political career, Jack Kemp was a
professional quarterback for 13 years in the NFL, CFL and AFL, where he
served as captain of both the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills and
earned the MVP Award in 1965 after leading the Bills to a second consec-
utive championship; and
WHEREAS, Jack Kemp played in the AFL for all 10 years of its exist-
ence, appeared in its All-Star game seven times, played in its champion-
ship game five times and set many of its career passing records; during
the early part of his football career, he served in the United States
Army Reserve; and
WHEREAS, A founder and president of the AFL Players Association, Jack
Kemp supported a boycott of an all-star game by the league's African-Am-
erican players in 1965, after they had been barred from nightclubs and
cabs in the city; he helped get the game moved to Houston, where all of
the players were able to participate; and
WHEREAS, After his days in political office, Jack Kemp remained active
as a political advocate and commentator, and served on numerous corpo-
rate and non-profit organization boards, including the Hawk Corporation,
the IDT Corporation, CNL Hotels and Resorts, InPhonic, the Cyrix Corpo-
ration, the American Bankers Insurance Group, the Oracle Corporation,
SixFlags, Habitat for Humanity and EzGov; and
WHEREAS, The founder and chairman of Kemp Partners, a strategic
consulting firm that helps clients achieve both business and public
policy goals, Jack Kemp co-founded the free market advisory group,
Empower America, with Bill Bennett, Jeanne Kirkpatrick and financial
backer Theodore Forstmann in 1993, which later merged with Citizens for
a Sound Economy to form Freedom Works; and
WHEREAS, Jack Kemp also served on several advisory boards, including
the UCLA School of Public Policy Advisory Board and the Toyota Diversity
Advisory Board, as well as the Howard University Board of Trustees and
authored, co-authored and edited several books, such as AN AMERICAN
IDEA: ENDING LIMITS TO GROWTH, TOGETHER WE CAN MEET THE CHALLENGE:
WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS and U.S. BY THE NUMBERS: WHAT'S LEFT,
RIGHT & WRONG WITH AMERICA; and
WHEREAS, The vice president of NFL Charities, Jack Kemp was the Chair-
man of the Board of Directors of USA Football, a national advocacy group
created by the NFL and the NFL Players Association that supports Pop
Warner, American Youth Football, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the
National Recreation and Park Association, the Police Athletic League,
the YMCA and the Amateur Athletic Union; and

WHEREAS, Jack Kemp is survived by his wife, Joanne; and their four
children, Jeff, Jimmy, Jennifer and Judith; and 17 grandchildren, all of
whom felt privileged to be a part of his life and rejoiced in his many
achievements; and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit, imbued with a sense of
compassion, and comforted by a loving family, Jack Kemp leaves behind a
legacy which will long endure the passage of time and will remain as a
comforting memory to all he served and befriended; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to pay
tribute to the life and accomplishments of former New York State
Congressman and Buffalo Bills quarterback Jack Kemp; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Jack Kemp.