[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 256 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 256
Expressing support for the designation of the week of June 16 through
June 23, 2019, as ``National GI Bill Commemoration Week'' and
celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act
of 1944.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 20, 2019
Mr. Carper (for himself, Mr. Isakson, and Mr. Tester) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the designation of the week of June 16 through
June 23, 2019, as ``National GI Bill Commemoration Week'' and
celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act
of 1944.
Whereas, on July 28, 1943, in seeking a solution to integrate returning members
of the Armed Forces into civilian life, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
called for a comprehensive set of veterans benefits during a fireside
chat saying, ``While concentrating on military victory, we are not
neglecting the planning of the things to come . . . . Among many other
things we are, today, laying plans for the return to civilian life of
our gallant men and women in the Armed Services.'';
Whereas, on June 22, 1944, in demonstration of the full support of the United
States for the transition of members of the Armed Forces to civilian
life, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Servicemen's
Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284, chapter 268), more commonly
known as the ``G.I. Bill of Rights'';
Whereas the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 was the culmination of the
tireless work and advocacy of veteran service organizations and Members
of Congress;
Whereas the Act made immediate financial support, transformative educational
benefits, and home loan guarantees available to the 16,000,000 veterans
who served in the Armed Forces during World War II;
Whereas the Act helped approximately 7,800,000 veterans enroll in post-secondary
education or training, helped to democratize higher education in the
United States, and caused total post-secondary education enrollment to
grow exponentially from 1,676,856 in 1945, with veterans accounting for
5.2 percent of total post-secondary education enrollment, to 2,338,226
in 1947, with veterans accounting for 49.2 percent of the total;
Whereas the Act contributed approximately 450,000 engineers, 240,000
accountants, 238,000 teachers, 91,000 scientists, 67,000 doctors,
122,000 dentists, 17,000 writers and editors, and thousands of other
professionals to the workforce of the United States and expanded the
middle class more than at any other point in the history of the United
States;
Whereas the Act expressed the duty, responsibility, and desire of a grateful
United States to see to it that those who served on active duty in the
Armed Forces are afforded every opportunity to become disciplined forces
for prosperity and progress in the United States through economic
opportunity and investment;
Whereas Congress passed subsequent Acts to provide educational assistance to new
generations of veterans, including the Veterans' Readjustment Benefits
Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-358), the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans'
Educational Assistance Act of 1977 (title IV of Public Law 94-502), the
Veterans' Educational Assistance Act of 1984 (title VII of Public Law
98-525), the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008
(title V of Public Law 110-252), and the Harry W. Colmery Veterans
Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-48);
Whereas, since the signing of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, the
Department of Veterans Affairs has paid approximately $400,000,000,000
in educational assistance to approximately 25,000,000 veterans and their
loved ones who continue to excel academically in post-secondary
education;
Whereas the Act created the Department of Veterans Affairs Home Loan Guarantee
program, which, since 1944, has provided a pathway for approximately
24,000,000 veterans to purchase a home guaranteed by the Department, the
majority of which are purchased with no down payment;
Whereas the Act improved health care opportunities for veterans by transferring
medical facilities from the Army and the Navy and providing funding for
hospitals of the Department of Veterans Affairs;
Whereas this combination of opportunities changed the social and economic fabric
of the United States for the better, with a 1988 report from the
Subcommittee on Education and Health of the Joint Economic Committee of
Congress concluding that for every $1 the United States invested
pursuant to the Act, $6.90 was returned in growth to the economy of the
United States;
Whereas 1,262 Members of Congress served in the Armed Forces on or after June
22, 1944, and, therefore, many Members of Congress directly benefitted
from the enactment of the Act;
Whereas June 22, 2019, is the 75th anniversary of the date on which President
Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Act into law; and
Whereas the week of June 16 through June 23, 2019, is an appropriate week to
designate as ``National GI Bill Commemoration Week'': Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses support for the designation of the week of
June 16 through June 23, 2019, as ``National GI Bill
Commemoration Week'';
(2) honors the achievements of the Servicemen's
Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284, chapter 268), more
commonly known as the ``G.I. Bill of Rights'', in democratizing
higher education, increasing home ownership, establishing
greater citizenship through economic empowerment, and
empowering a generation that would serve for decades to guide
the transformation of the United States into a global force for
good;
(3) considers the veterans benefitting from the
Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 on the 75th anniversary
of its enactment--
(A) to be equal to the challenge of creating a
lasting prosperity for the United States as their
forebears; and
(B) to have the opportunity to become the heirs to
the Greatest Generation;
(4) affirms the responsibility of Congress to be faithful
stewards of educational assistance provided under laws
administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure
that such assistance endures as an honorable investment of
public dollars; and
(5) encourages all people of the United States to celebrate
June 22, 2019, as the 75th anniversary of the signing of the
Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
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