[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 80 (Wednesday, June 22, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
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]

 
        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1995

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Madam President, I rise on the bill to speak about some 
of the past accomplishments of this Nation relative to the defense of 
this Nation. I had the privilege today of being present at the 
celebration of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Servicemen's 
Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the GI bill. Unfortunately, 
it was a time when votes were about to occur here and, therefore, not 
many of the Members of this body were able to be there. But I was there 
because I am on the Veterans Committee and because I, as a youngster, 
was around in my great State to see the results from the GI bill at the 
end of World War II.
  It was wonderful to see my older neighbors coming home from that war 
and to see what it meant to those who had sacrificed their lives--in 
the sense of time, as well as having them at risk--for this Nation. But 
our country came forward with the program known as the GI bill. I 
watched them as they went to college and to trade school, able to buy 
their homes and to have the lives which they were denied for so many 
years.
  Through the years, that bill has changed the direction of many 
service members' lives, giving them assistance needed to readjust to 
civilian life after returning from the service. Most notably, it made 
higher education obtainable and affordable for millions of service 
members, and provided home loan assistance. Because of the GI bill, 
there are thousands of success stories both in my home State of Vermont 
and throughout our big Nation. Three Vermonters who stand out in my 
mind are friends of mine; they are Lance Harrington, John Tucker, and 
Ed Kehoe.
  Lance is a Vietnam combat veteran who upon returning home used the GI 
bill to finish his college degree, graduate cum laude from law school, 
and now devotes his law practice to veterans benefits law.
  John Tucker is a Korean era veteran who used the GI bill to obtain a 
BA in business administration. John has dedicated his life to 
advocating for homeless veterans and minorities.
  My last example is Eddie Kehoe, a totally disabled World War II 
veteran who did not personally use his education benefits. Rather, he 
used the GI bill to put his five daughters through college.
  In fact, on June 9, two of my colleagues who sit with me on the 
Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee spoke during a committee markup on 
the anniversary of the bill. It moved me to learn from Senators Daschle 
and Campbell that they would not be in the position they are now 
without the assistance and the support the GI bill offered them after 
their return from service.
  As ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Education, I have 
always been dedicated to furthering our country's educational standards 
and offering all Americans a fair chance to receive a sound education. 
The passage of the GI bill has been a substantial achievement in 
meeting those goals.
  I believe we are at a time in our history where we can achieve such 
results in educational standards and assistance again. We sent a man to 
the moon in a mere decade, and we also sent a whole generation of GI's 
to college after World War II. Both of these efforts did cost a great 
deal of money. In fact, after the Second World War, the education 
budget constituted almost 10 percent of our total budget. But we were 
willing to spend money on those initiatives--for education in 
particular, because we recognized its importance. That is what we need 
to do again today.
  The GI bill laid the foundation for further initiatives in the 
education field. This year, I introduced a bill dubbed the ``1 percent 
for education'' bill. My proposal would increase Federal funding for 
education by 1 percent of the whole Federal budget, $15 billion each 
year, until it reaches 10 percent of the budget--back where it was as a 
percent of the budget after World War II when the GI bill came into 
law. This is roughly the share of the Federal spending that we devoted 
to education after the conclusion of World War II. Now, at the 
conclusion of the cold war, it is down again to where we started before 
the GI bill came in, at a mere 1.8 percent.
  Here again, in this country, as we struggle forward to meet the 
competition that is given us after the cold war, and the huge opening 
markets of the world, education investment of this nature, like the GI 
bill, is again appropriate. This money would be used first to fund the 
mandates the Federal Government has already created. It would fully 
fund those Federal programs such as Head Start that we know are 
successful and make other investments in our schools and students.
  In particular, I would point to the special education bill. If we 
were to fully fund the 40 percent that we promised back when the bill 
came into effect in the mid-1970's, we would do much not only to help 
those who were in need of the funds, but also to help replace the funds 
that State and local governments have had to expend in order to make 
the special education bill work--funds that we had promised them.
  In the months ahead, I will be continuing my efforts in this regard 
with the same determination and ambition that was proven successful in 
the passage of the GI bill. I salute the veterans service organizations 
which have supported the GI bill over the years and worked to see its 
passage, especially the American Legion, which has been credited with 
the original concept of the bill and its design.
  As a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, I pledge 
continued support of the assistance programs offered to veterans and 
service members through the GI bill. Today, as we all acknowledge the 
success of the GI bill, it is my hope we can come together as a Nation 
to support initiatives like ``1 percent for education,'' which will 
allow our country to once again put education at the top of our 
priority list.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia is recognized.

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