Timothy M. Kennedy

Tim is a lifelong Western New Yorker. He grew up in a blue-collar family in Buffalo, where his parents, Marty and Mary Kennedy, raised Tim and his four siblings to work hard, focus on their education, help their neighbors, and get involved in their community. Tim attended St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute before going on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in occupational therapy at D’Youville College, now D’Youville University. For 11 years, Tim worked with geriatric and pediatric populations to help them recover from injuries and fully participate in all life situations. As a licensed occupational therapist, Tim has spent his entire career working to help people.

Elected to the House of Representatives on April 30, 2024, Tim sits on the House Homeland Security Committee and has been assigned to two of its subcommittees: Emergency Management and Technology and Transportation and Maritime Security. As a member of the committee, and as Co-Chair of the Northern Border Caucus, Kennedy has worked to secure our northern border and ports of entry, and strengthen relations with our Canadian neighbors to boost our regions’ economies. He has championed changes to how FEMA responds to extreme winter weather events by introducing the SNOW Act. He also sits on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, where he has fought to improve services for veterans at the Buffalo VA Hospital, including advocating for state-of-the-art facilities for veterans to receive care.

Prior to serving in Congress, Tim represented Western New York in the New York State Senate, where he chaired the Transportation Committee. As Chair, Tim delivered an unprecedented $100 million for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to improve the Metro Rail. He passed legislation to protect children riding on school buses, workers in highway work zones, and pedestrians and cyclists across New York State. He spearheaded historic limousine safety reforms in the wake of tragic accidents on Long Island and in the Capital Region. In addition, Tim led the effort to pass a $32.8 billion New York State DOT five-year Capital Plan and a $54.8 billion Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) 5-year Capital Plan.

Tim has fought for equity and social justice, voting to legalize marriage equality, expand voting rights, and give striking workers easier access to unemployment benefits. He supported women’s rights in New York by codifying Roe v. Wade, worked to keep our communities safe by passing gun safety legislation, and fought back against attempts to undermine the Affordable Care Act. He recognizes that our strength comes from our diversity and has worked to expand language access across state government, making New York State an even more welcoming place for New Americans.

Tim and his wife, Katie, live in the City of Buffalo where they are raising their three children.