[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 80 (Wednesday, June 22, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
            CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GI BILL

  (Mr. FILNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to take this opportunity to 
commemorate the 50th anniversary of one of the most successful ideas to 
ever come out of this Congress--this GI bill.
  I am proud to serve under Chairman Sonny Montgomery on the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee. As we all know, the fourth and current GI bill 
program is named after our chairman, and continues to embody the 
American promise to our veterans to repay them for their service, while 
promoting quality educational institutions across America.
  Fifty years ago, President Roosevelt gave us one of the most 
important domestic programs of the century. Today, in 1994, each branch 
of the Armed Forces reports that approximately 9 out of 10 recruits are 
enrolling in the Montgomery GI bill program. This is of vital 
importance to our ecomony--since we are desperately in need of educated 
personnel to lead us into the next century.
  Not only is this a good deal for veterans--but it has been estimated 
that the U.S. Treasury receives back in income taxes several time more 
than it pays out in GI bill education benefits. This is truly an 
investment in our future. How many other Government programs can we 
point to that have such a great success and actually gain us revenue 
and skilled workers?
  Some famous people that many of us admire and work with every day are 
participants in the GI bill program. Vice President Al Gore. Chairman 
of the Veterans' Affairs Committee Sonny Montgomery. Representative 
Ronald Dellums. Secretary of State Warren Christopher.
  The impact of the GI bill can hardly be overstated. It has 
transformed higher education in America, easing the transition of 
million of veterans into civilian life, while providing education and 
prosperity for our Nation as a whole. I join my colleagues in rising to 
commemorate the anniversary of this program and to hope that this 
Congress has the vision to pass more legislation just like the GI 
bill--legislation that works for our people, for our economy and for 
our future.

                          ____________________