2023 Senate Joint Resolution 119
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: honoring the life and legacy of the late Senator Herb Kohl.
Whereas, Herb Kohl grew up in the Sherman Park neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and
Whereas, Herb Kohl earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, which is now home to the basketball and hockey center that bears his name as well as the Herb Kohl Public Service Research Competition to advance evidence-based policy and governance research by faculty members and students, which were supported through his gifts to the university; and
Whereas, as president of the Kohl’s Corporation, Herb Kohl followed in his father’s footsteps and built with his brothers a chain of over 50 Kohl’s grocery stores across the Midwest; and
Whereas, when the Milwaukee Bucks were put up for sale and in danger of being bought and moved to another city, Herb Kohl stepped forward in 1985 and bought the team with the promise to Bucks fans that the team would never leave—a promise he fulfilled when the time came to sell the team in 2014, donating $100,000,000 to help build a new arena for the community; and
Whereas, in 1990, Herb Kohl started the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation, which has provided more than $34,000,000 in grants and scholarships to Wisconsin students, teachers, and schools; and
Whereas, Herb Kohl answered a call to public service in 1988 and ran for the U.S. Senate, with a commitment to being “nobody’s senator but yours” and working across party lines for the people of the state he loved; and
Whereas, Herb Kohl served Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate for 24 years, bringing his business experience to his senate office and treating his more than 5,000,000 Wisconsin constituents as his customers; and
Whereas, Herb Kohl championed issues important for the people of Wisconsin, fighting every day for dairy farmers, working to protect kids from the threat of gun violence, helping seniors secure and keep high-quality health care, and supporting education at all levels, from early childhood through adults attending technical colleges and universities; and
Whereas, throughout his senate tenure, Herb Kohl championed initiatives to get individuals, families, and communities the health insurance and care they needed, focusing on the most vulnerable—children and seniors—and the most difficult to reach—rural communities; and
Whereas, Herb Kohl’s office assisted Wisconsinites through individual casework for more than two decades, earning a reputation as having one of the best customer service operations in the U.S. Senate; and
Whereas, Herb Kohl touched an incalculable number of lives and showed an innate modesty and humility rare in politics and business; and
Whereas, on December 27, 2023, at the age of 88, Herb Kohl died, leaving behind a legacy of dedication and service to the people of Wisconsin; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the members of the Wisconsin Legislature honor the life, dedication to the people of Wisconsin, and public service of Senator Herb Kohl and extend their condolences to his family and friends.
Representative Robin J. Vos
Speaker of the Assembly
Senator Chris Kapenga
President of the Senate
Richard A. Champagne
Acting Senate Chief Clerk
