[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3257 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3257

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend to Black veterans of 
 World War II, and surviving spouses and certain direct descendants of 
 such veterans, eligibility for certain housing loans and educational 
 assistance administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 8, 2023

 Mr. Warnock (for himself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Blumenthal, Mrs. Murray, Mr. 
 Durbin, and Mr. Booker) introduced the following bill; which was read 
        twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend to Black veterans of 
 World War II, and surviving spouses and certain direct descendants of 
 such veterans, eligibility for certain housing loans and educational 
 assistance administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. 
Joseph H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) African Americans played a pivotal role in the war 
        effort during World War II, with more than 1,200,000 African 
        Americans serving in the Armed Forces, and, by 1945, 
        approximately 1.9 percent of all officers in the Armed Forces 
        were African Americans.
            (2) Following World War II, the Servicemen's Readjustment 
        Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284, commonly known as the ``GI Bill'') 
        offered substantial material benefits to approximately 
        16,000,000 veterans to assist them in reintegrating into civil 
        society.
            (3) The GI Bill offered a range of economic and educational 
        benefits administered by the Federal Government through the 
        Secretary of the Veterans Administration, including monetary 
        assistance to access higher education, government guarantees 
        for housing loans, unemployment allowances, and civilian 
        workforce reentry assistance.
            (4) Though the legislative text of the GI Bill was race 
        neutral, the administration of benefits through national, 
        State, and local offices of the Veterans Administration 
        resulted in a pattern of discrimination against racial 
        minorities, especially African Americans.
            (5) Veterans Administration benefits counselors denied 
        African Americans access to educational benefits at certain 
        universities and funneled applicants into industrial and 
        vocational schools rather than higher education opportunities, 
        with just 6 percent of African-American veterans of World War 
        II earning a college degree, compared to 19 percent of White 
        veterans of World War II.
            (6) In administering its housing guaranty program, the 
        Veterans Administration adopted the racial exclusion programs 
        of the Federal Housing Administration, also known as redlining, 
        which excluded a significant number of African Americans from 
        taking full advantage of the housing guaranty program.
            (7) The GI Bill created substantial economic growth and 
        wealth accumulation for those who could benefit, but 
        discriminatory administration of the program prevented many 
        African-American veterans of World War II from enjoying the 
        full economic prosperity of the post-war period.

SEC. 3. HOUSING LOANS GUARANTEED BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              FOR BLACK VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II AND SURVIVORS AND 
              CERTAIN DIRECT DESCENDANTS OF SUCH VETERANS.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) Definition.--Section 3701(b) of title 38, United States 
        Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        paragraphs:
            ``(8) The term `veteran' also includes an individual who--
                    ``(A) is Black;
                    ``(B) served on active duty as a member of the 
                Armed Forces during World War II; and
                    ``(C) certifies to the Secretary that such 
                individual was denied a specific benefit under the 
                Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284) on 
                the basis of race.
            ``(9) The term `veteran' also includes an individual who--
                    ``(A) is the surviving spouse, child, grandchild, 
                or other direct descendant of a veteran described in 
                paragraph (8);
                    ``(B) certifies to the Secretary that such veteran 
                described in paragraph (8) was denied a specific 
                benefit under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 
                (58 Stat. 284) on the basis of race; and
                    ``(C) is living on the date of the enactment of the 
                Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox GI 
                Bill Restoration Act of 2023.''.
            (2) Basic entitlement.--Section 3702(a)(2)(E) of such title 
        is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
            ``(H) Each individual--
                    ``(i) described in paragraph (8) or (9) of section 
                3701(b) of this title; and
                    ``(ii) who applies for a housing loan during the 
                five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment 
                of the Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. 
                Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act of 2023.''.
    (b) Deadline.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out 
the amendments made by this section not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Regulations.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall prescribe 
regulations to carry out the amendments made by this section.
    (d) GAO Report.--Not later than one year after the deadline under 
subsection (b), the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
submit to Congress a report regarding--
            (1) the number of individuals who received housing loan 
        benefits pursuant to the amendments made by this section; and
            (2) the total value of housing loan benefits administered 
        by the Secretary pursuant to the amendments made by this 
        section.

SEC. 4. EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR SURVIVORS AND CERTAIN DIRECT 
              DESCENDANTS OF BLACK VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II.

    (a) Entitlement.--Subsection (b) of section 3311 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
            ``(12) An individual--
                    ``(A) described in section 3701(b)(9) of this 
                title; and
                    ``(B) who applies for educational assistance under 
                this chapter during the five-year period beginning on 
                the date of the enactment of the Sgt. Isaac Woodard, 
                Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act 
                of 2023.''.
    (b) Deadline.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out 
the amendment made by this section not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Regulations.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall prescribe 
regulations to carry out the amendment made by this section.
    (d) GAO Report.--Not later than one year after the deadline under 
subsection (b), the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
submit to Congress a report regarding--
            (1) the number of individuals who received educational 
        assistance pursuant to the amendment made by this section; and
            (2) the total amount of educational assistance paid by the 
        Secretary pursuant to the amendment made by this section.

SEC. 5. BLUE RIBBON PANEL ON BENEFITS AND ASSISTANCE FOR FEMALE AND 
              MINORITY VETERANS.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, 
pursuant to chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code (commonly 
referred to as the ``Federal Advisory Committee Act''), appoint a panel 
of independent experts on--
            (1) inequities in the distribution of benefits and 
        assistance administered by the Secretary; and
            (2) military service by female and minority members of the 
        Armed Forces.
    (b) Duties.--The panel required to be appointed under subsection 
(a) shall develop recommendations regarding additional benefits and 
assistance for individuals described in paragraph (2) of such 
subsection, and related legislation.
    (c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the panel required to be appointed under 
subsection (a) shall submit to Congress and the President a report 
containing the recommendations developed under this section.
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