J. Kennedy of Rhode Island to "step outside" to settle a dispute over the issue. Solomon attempted to run for Speaker of the House in 1994 but withdrew in favor of Newt Gingrich. Solomon also supported creation of the Saratoga National Cemetery, which was named the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in his honor following his death. In addition, he was a longtime advocate of elevating the Veterans Administration to cabinet status, which resulted in creation of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Solomon was also a leader of former Marines in Congress who fought the construction of the United States Air Force Memorial through litigation and legislation at a site they considered to be too close to the USMC War Memorial. (The Air Force Memorial was ultimately constructed at a different location, on the grounds of Fort Myer near Arlington National Cemetery.) Solomon Amendment Solomon was also the originator and sponsor of the Solomon Amendment, a controversial amendment to United States Code that precluded the receipt of federal government funds by colleges and universities unless they provided equal access to military recruiters as they did private employers. The policy was a response to rules at many American law schools which excluded employers who discriminated based on categories such as sexual orientation. The Amendment was subject to extensive litigation in 2003 by plaintiffs; the Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights (FAIR) and the Society of American Law Teachers. This litigation included FAIR v. Rumsfeld, 390 F.3d 219 (3rd Cir. 2004). On March 6, 2006, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the military and upheld the Solomon Amendment. Rules Committee Chair Solomon was named ranking Republican of the House Rules Committee in 1991. Even though Jimmy Quillen of Tennessee had far more seniority, the other Republicans on the committee thought Solomon was a more accomplished legislator. When he lost his bid for the Speakership in 1995, he became chairman of the Rules Committee, thus making him one of the three or four most powerful members of the House. He served as chairman from 1995 to 1999, when he retired. In his district, which ran from the Hudson Valley near Poughkeepsie into the Adirondacks, including Lake Placid, he was a popular and respected figure. In the later years of his tenure he consistently drew the highest total vote of any member of the New York delegation.