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May 11, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
SENATE RESOLUTION 723—HONORING THE LIFE OF DIRK ARTHUR KEMPTHORNE,
FORMER UNITED STATES SENATOR FOR THE STATE OF IDAHO
Mr. CRAPO (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Thune, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Armstrong, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Banks, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Budd, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cassidy, Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Daines, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Fetterman, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Gallego, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hagerty, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Husted, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Justice, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kim, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Lee, Mr. Lujan, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Markey, Mr. Marshall, Mr. McConnell, Mr. McCormick, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. Moody, Mr. Moran, Mr. Moreno, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Paul, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Mr. Ricketts, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Sheehy, Ms. Slotkin, Ms. Smith, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, Mr. Warnock, Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Young) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 723
Whereas Dirk Kempthorne was born on October 29, 1951, in
San Diego, California and raised in San Bernardino,
California, where he graduated from San Gorgonio High School
in 1970, before moving to his long-time home, Idaho;
Whereas, in 1975, Dirk Kempthorne graduated from the
University of Idaho, in Moscow, Idaho, with a degree in
political science and served as the student body president of
the University;
Whereas, in 1977, Dirk Kempthorne married Patricia Galvin
atop Moscow Mountain;
Whereas Dirk Kempthorne was elected as Mayor of Boise in
1985;
Whereas, with his steady, locally driven leadership, Dirk
Kempthorne led Idaho's capital city through a transformation
period, in which Boise experienced unprecedented job growth
and the revitalization of infrastructure and commerce, and
which led to the construction of many of the Boise landmarks
residents and visitors know today, including the Grove Plaza,
Boise Centre, and the Wells Fargo Building;
Whereas Dirk Kempthorne carried his approach to leadership
to the United States Senate, when he was elected in 1992 to
serve a single, but consequential, term;
Whereas, during Dirk Kempthorne's tenure in the Senate,
he—
(1) was recognized by the Majority Leader at the time, Bob
Dole, as “one of the Senate's rising young stars”;
(2) advocated for Idaho and the West on several key
committees, including the Committee on Armed Services, the
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and the
Committee on Environment and Public Works;
(3) authored and voted for several important pieces of
legislation, including the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of
1995 (2 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.), which provided much-needed
relief for State and local governments burdened by Federal
regulations; and
(4) led in writing the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments
of 1996 (Public Law 104-741; 110 Stat. 1613), a bipartisan
effort the Senate passed unanimously and President Bill
Clinton signed into law that gave local communities and water
systems the flexibility to meet local needs while protecting
public health, which was emblematic of Dirk's unique ability
to build consensus and deliver real results;
Whereas, in 1998, Dirk Kempthorne returned to his home
State and was elected the 30th governor of Idaho;
Whereas Governor Kempthorne built upon the strong
foundation set by his predecessor and mentor, Phil Batt, and
guided Idaho into the era of prosperity and resilience that
residents enjoy today;
Whereas Governor Kempthorne balanced States' rights and
proven, community-based solutions and prioritized the
responsible stewardship of Idaho's natural resources,
including by establishing the Department of Environmental
Quality and Office of Species Conservation, which developed
wolf and grizzly bear management plans;
Whereas Governor Kempthorne also championed the historic
Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles (GARVEE) bond program,
which provided unprecedented funding for long-overdue
transportation improvements across the State;
Whereas Governor Kempthorne implemented numerous economic
development and education efforts, including an initiative
focused on ensuring every Idaho child could read at grade
level by the third grade;
Whereas Dirk Kempthorne led Idahoans through the economic
recession of the early 2000s and the aftermath of 9/11 with
steadiness and compassion;
Whereas Dirk Kempthorne was confirmed as the 49th United
States Secretary of the Interior under President George W.
Bush on May 26, 2006;
Whereas, as Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne
brought Idaho's common sense and shared values to the
executive branch, as he spearheaded the Department's work to
ensure America's public lands were preserved and managed
wisely, balancing conservation with the needs of the
communities that depended on them;
Whereas, as he had done throughout his life, Dirk
Kempthorne prioritized collaboration and local input,
particularly when it came to forest health, species
management, and wildfire prevention, and his dedication to
the outdoors continued to his last day, through his support
for the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise and The
Peregrine Fund;
Whereas Dirk Kempthorne was guided by the belief that
cooperation, not confrontation, should be the hallmark of
conservation efforts;
Whereas Dirk Kempthorne's steadfast advocacy for the men
and women of the Armed Forces of the United States was
another core pillar of his leadership;
Whereas, most recently, Dirk Kempthorne had devoted his
talents to initiatives supporting the families of
servicemembers, including Operation Military Blessings, and
the commissioning of the USS Idaho;
Whereas Dirk Kempthorne's leadership on the USS Idaho
Commissioning Committee helped to ensure the success of the
ship and to raise enough to provide scholarships to every
crew member and their family for the life of the ship;
Whereas Dirk Kempthorne's incredible legacy will live on in
the heart of the USS Idaho, as its engine room is named in
his honor and bears a plaque that reads, “The Honorable Dirk
A. Kempthorne, A Driving Force for the Great State of Idaho,
Whose Legacy Endures, Above and Below the Waves”;and
Whereas Idahoans owe a debt of gratitude to Dirk Kempthorne
for a lifetime spent shaping what he called the “43rd star
in the galaxy of states that make up the greatest nation in
the world”: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That—
(1) the Senate—
(A) has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the
announcement of the death of Dirk Kempthorne, former Member
of the Senate;
(B) mourns the loss of Dirk Kempthorne and prays for his
loved ones, including his children Heather and Jeff, and his
wife of nearly 50 years, Patricia;
(C) remembers Dirk Kempthorne as a friend, a dedicated
public servant, and an advocate for Idaho, veterans, the
great outdoors, and more;
(D) directs the Secretary of the Senate—
(i) to communicate this resolution to the House of
Representatives; and
(ii) to transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the
family of Dirk Kempthorne; and
(2) when the Senate adjourns today, it stands adjourned as
a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Dirk
Kempthorne.