In January 1995 Jack Kemp announced that he would not seek the Republican Party's nomination in 1996, stating that his passion for ideas was not matched by a passion for fundraising. Many commentators considered this a great loss for both the Republican Party, and the country. He was, however, certainly not left standing in the shadows of the GOP.

In March of 1996, Senator Bob Dole and Speaker Newt Gingrich appointed him head of the newly developed National Commission for Economic Growth and Tax Reform. Speaker Gingrich commented; "There is a yearning in America for a very profound rethinking of the tax code and Jack Kemp is the one to provide that type of leadership." Mr. Kemp also serves on the Board of Directors at Empower America, a public policy and advocacy organization he co-founded in 1993 with William Bennett, Jean Kirkpatrick and Vin Weber, to promote policies that expand growth, job creation, and advance social policies which empower people and not government bureaucracies.

NOTE: This bio appeared in the March 30, 1996 program for our "A Conversation Between Mario Cuomo and Jack Kemp" Forum.