[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 11, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H2766-H2769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[[Page H2766]]
RECOGNIZING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SERVICEMEN'S READJUSTMENT ACT
OF 1944
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 91) recognizing the 60th
anniversary of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.J. Res. 91
Whereas on June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
signed into law the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944,
commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights;
Whereas the GI Bill of Rights provided education and
training benefits to more than 7,800,000 United States
veterans and subsequent Acts have provided those benefits to
more than 21,500,000 United States veterans;
Whereas the GI Bill of Rights provided unemployment
benefits, small business loans, and job counseling services
to assist veterans with the transition from military service
to civilian employment;
Whereas the GI Bill of Rights is credited with contributing
to the robust recovery of the United States post-World War II
economy, and is largely recognized as one of the most
successful domestic programs of the United States;
Whereas the GI Bill of Rights, and subsequent Acts,
established home loan programs for United States veterans
which, since 1944, have guaranteed more than 17,500,000
loans, totaling aggregate loan amounts of more than
$800,000,000,000, providing home ownership opportunities to
millions of United States veterans and their families; and
Whereas the GI Bill of Rights, and subsequent Acts, have
been recognized by political, business, sociocultural, and
educational leaders as landmark pieces of legislation which
have collectively contributed to the development of the
United States middle class: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, That
Congress--
(1) supports the recognition of the 60th anniversary of the
Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, and
(2) requests the President to issue a proclamation calling
on the people of the United States to observe the 60th
anniversary of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 with
appropriate ceremonies and activities.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, House Joint Resolution 91 would recognize the 60th
anniversary of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, popularly
known as the GI Bill of Rights, arguably America's most successful
domestic program ever.
In the decade following World War II, more than 2 million eligible
men and women went to college using the GI Bill educational benefits.
The result was an American workforce enriched by 450,000 engineers,
238,000 teachers, 91,000 scientists, 67,000 doctors, 22,000 dentists,
and another 1 million college-educated men and women. It is estimated
that another 5 million men and women received other schooling or job
training on the GI Bill, helping to create the modern middle class.
The original GI Bill exceeded all expectations and had enormous
benefits beyond the immediate benefits given to our deserving war
veterans. College enrollment grew dramatically in 1947. GI Bill
enrollees accounted for almost half of the total college population,
resulting in a need for more and larger colleges and universities. In
New Jersey, Rutgers University saw its admissions grow from a pre-war
high of 7,000 to almost 16,000 during the postwar decades.
Mr. Speaker, economic philosopher Peter Drucker looking at the GI
Bill's historical impact noted ``The GI Bill of Rights, and the
enthusiastic response on the part of America's veterans, signaled the
shift to a knowledge society. In this society, knowledge is the primary
resource for individuals and the economy overall.''
In fact, Mr. Speaker, a Veterans Administration study in 1965 showed
that due to the increased earning power of GI Bill college graduates,
Federal Government income tax revenues rose by more than $1 billion
annually; and in less than 20 years, the $14 billion cost of the
original program had been recovered. Further, the home loan portion of
the original GI Bill of Rights was so successful that it is credited
with creating the suburbs in America. Before the GI Bill, the great
majority of Americans were renters. Now, most Americans live in their
own homes.
Most importantly, the GI Bill transformed the working men and women
of America, giving millions new opportunities they could only dream of
before it was enacted.
Mr. Speaker, building upon this success of the original GI Bill,
Congress approved a second education bill known as the Veterans
Readjustment Assistance Act of 1952 during the Korean War, and then a
third bill, the Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act of 1966 during the
Vietnam War, and a fourth bill, the Veterans Educational Assistance
Program for the post-Vietnam War era.
Finally, in 1985, Congress approved today's Montgomery GI Bill, or
the MGIB, which was designed not only to help veterans transition into
the workforce through education and training, but also to support the
all-volunteer Armed Forces. All totaled, over 20 million men and women
have used the VA educational benefits in the various programs since the
first GI Bill in 1944.
Furthermore, the use of educational benefits as a recruitment tool
has been one of the most spectacularly successful of all tools given to
our Nation's military recruiters.
Mr. Speaker, when I was first elected chairman of the House Committee
on Veterans' Affairs in January of 2001, the GI Bill needed to be
updated. As a result of inflation and rising higher education costs,
the monthly educational benefit was estimated to cover less than two-
thirds of what would be required for a veteran student to attend a 4-
year public college as a commuter student. GI Bill utilization rates
were down under 50 percent, as far too many veterans concluded they
simply could not afford to attend college or job training programs
using GI Bill benefits.
With good, solid, bipartisan support in the House and Senate, along
with a coalition of education and veterans leaders, I introduced the
comprehensive legislation, H.R. 1291, the Veterans Education and
Benefits Expansion Act of 2001, now Public Law 107-103, which
dramatically increased Montgomery GI Bill benefits. Signed by President
Bush in December of 2001, this legislation boosted the total lifetime
Montgomery GI educational benefit from $24,192 in December of 2001 to
$35,460 today, an increase of $11,268, which goes directly towards
education and job training for qualified veterans. This number is about
a 46 percent increase when it was phased in over 3 years.
Already, the number of GI Bill users has risen dramatically by over
24,000 in the first full year of the higher benefit levels, from
289,894 in 2001 to 323,165 in 2002, an 11.5 percent increase after 3
years of declined usage. So in other words, it was going in the
opposite direction in terms of utilization. That now has ratcheted
upwards.
In addition to benefit increases over the past 4 years, Congress has
also made dozens of other improvements to the GI Bill program through
32 separate provisions of law, including accelerated GI Bill payments
for short-term, intensive, high-technology courses; two major increases
in chapter 35 benefits for veterans' surviving spouses and their
dependents; protection against loss of GI benefits resulting from
mobilizations and deployments; use of the GI Bill for entrepreneurship
courses offered through the Small Business Development Centers; and use
of benefits for licensing and credentialing.
And, later this week, I am happy to say, Mr. Speaker, the
Subcommittee on Benefits of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, chaired
very admirably by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), is
poised to mark up H.R. 1716, the Veterans Earn and Learn Act, which I
introduced along with my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Evans), to modernize the VA's on-the-job training and
apprenticeship programs.
Mr. Speaker, the late author Michael J. Bennett in his book, ``The GI
Bill and the Making of Modern America'' wrote: ``The GI Bill was the
legislation that made the United States the first overwhelmingly
middle-class Nation in the world. It was the law that worked, the law
whose unexpected consequences were even more than its intended
purposes.''
I am pleased to join with the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud), the
prime sponsor of this resolution, and many others in writing this
resolution,
[[Page H2767]]
and I strongly encourage all of my colleagues to support it. Let us
have all of America celebrate a remarkable legacy that continues to
give, a legacy given to us by the visionaries who crafted it, and the
World War II veterans who converted its opportunities into the American
dream.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1700
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in strong support of House Joint Resolution 91, and I
encourage my colleagues to do the same. This joint resolution
commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act
of 1944, commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights.
On June 22, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the GI
Bill of Rights establishing what many believed to be one of the most
socially progressive and economically effective legislative measures
ever passed by the United States Congress.
Former Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas has stated that he
``considers it to be the best single investment the Federal Government
has ever made.''
A noted author, James Michener, said of the GI bill that he ``judged
the law one of the two or three finest Congress has ever passed since
our Constitution took effect.''
A congressional research study found that for every dollar invested
in the GI bill, the country recouped between $5 and $12 through revenue
generated by veterans taking advantage of the program's benefits.
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to note that the GI Bill of Rights was
originally drafted as an economic stimulus package, not necessarily as
an education program. The GI bill benefits originally included
education and training; loan guarantees for homes, small businesses and
farms; unemployment pay of $20 a week for up to 52 weeks; and job
training services.
Many social and political leaders of the day remembered the high
unemployment, homelessness, and frustration faced by World War I
veterans upon their return to a country in the throes of a deep
economic recession. These leaders wanted to avoid the regrettable Bonus
March on Washington of 1932, and they understood that nearly double the
number of World War II veterans would return than after World War I.
It was essential to our Nation's welfare that action be taken to
assist veterans' transition back into civilian life. What they did not
realize was how popular and effective the education benefits were going
to be under the new law.
Of the approximately 16 million individuals who served in World War
II, the GI Bill of Rights provided nearly 7.8 million veterans with
education and training benefits; 2.2 million veterans chose to study at
the college and university level; and by 1947, half of all college
students were veterans.
This influx changed the face of higher education. No longer was
college limited to the upper class. Former servicemembers of all socio-
economic classes, races, and religions broke open the doors of higher
education, including nearly 60,000 women. The Greatest Generation went
to college.
World War II veterans also had a tremendous effect on the housing
market. With the assistance of the GI bill home loan benefit, many
veterans purchased homes. By 1955, approximately 4 million home loans
had been granted, and veterans and their families owned nearly 20
percent of all new homes built.
This housing boom allowed FDR's administration to stave off a post-
war recession. The unemployment benefits, small business and farm
loans, job training services, and education benefits allowed the
Greatest Generation to successfully transition from soldiers to
civilian leaders.
By 1956, the year the original GI bill expired, the Federal
Government had invested over $14 billion in the program, and the
veterans of our Nation made good on that investment. The Department of
Veterans Affairs estimated that the increase in tax revenue of World
War II veterans alone was several times the amount appropriated for the
benefit.
Mr. Speaker, the GI Bill of Rights was unquestionably one of the
greatest legislative accomplishments. It was a catalyst for the
development of the United States middle class and provided our Greatest
Generation with an opportunity to succeed. Indeed, the impact of the
original GI bill continues today.
Subsequent related acts have provided education and training benefits
to more than 21.5 million veterans and guaranteed more than 17.5
million home loans to veterans and their families. I know very well
that the GI Bill of Rights and subsequent acts have provided many
generations of veterans in the State of Maine quality benefits and an
opportunity to succeed.
Mr. Speaker, it is fitting that today we come together in this great
body to recognize and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the GI Bill of
Rights. I encourage all Members to recognize the importance and power
of this law and to continue to work together to provide our veterans
the quality benefits that they earned through their service to our
Nation.
This joint resolution deserves the support of all Members.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), the
distinguished chairman of our Subcommittee on Benefits.
Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from
New Jersey for yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, I join with the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) and
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) and the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith) in asking my colleagues to support House Joint
Resolution 91.
This resolution would recognize through ceremonies and other
educational activities the 60th anniversary of the World War II GI Bill
of Rights, probably the most successful domestic legislation this
Chamber has ever written.
History tells us that much of America's post-World War II motivation
was concern over another depression. When 12 million of our demobilized
troops came home to an uncertain economy as the mills of war stopped
grinding and the United States undertook a massive rebuilding effort in
Western Europe and Japan, our great Nation showed remarkable vision.
The Congress gave veterans an opportunity to go to college, sort of
an economic cubby hole for them, as we transformed our economy from one
of wartime to one of peacetime focus.
Our fellow Americans who selflessly saved the world from tyranny and
dictatorship excelled in college because they were already veterans of
what author Michael Bennett has referred to as ``America's most
demanding prep school,'' the wartime military. World war II veterans
attended college and other forms of training in droves, some 7.8
million strong under the GI bill.
Disciplined by duty and enlightened by experience, World War II
veterans changed America's higher education dramatically because they
did something that was very unusual in an agrarian-based economy: they
went to school year around. James Conant, former president of Harvard,
noted that former GIs are the best students Harvard has ever had.
Veterans took our economy to new heights of prosperity. In fact,
economists credit the veterans themselves with repaying the $14.5
billion cost of the World War II GI bill. By 1960, they paid it off
through the additional taxes on their increased earning power as
doctors, teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs, civil servants and leaders
of business, industry and labor.
Mr. Speaker, this resolution is about their inspiring story. I urge
my colleagues to support House Joint Resolution 91.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking member of the committee.
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, and I
want to thank the chairman of the full committee for bringing it to the
floor today, and I want to thank the chairman of our subcommittee and
the Democratic side for their hard work in bringing this together and
this important resolution that I hope this House will pay close
attention to.
Mr. Speaker, the Servicemen's Adjustment Act of 1944, or as most
people
[[Page H2768]]
call it, the act of the GI Bill of Rights, was signed into law by
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt nearly 60 years ago on June 22,
1944. The Nation was fighting World War II in the Pacific and the
European theaters, and the civilian population came together like no
other time in our history to support the war effort on the home front.
It truly was the Greatest Generation of our veterans.
This joint resolution is a timely tribute to one of the most
important legislative measures passed into law, and the men and women
who returned home to build and strengthen our economy and our society.
The GI Bill of Rights sets the standard for how all other comparable
legislation should be measured.
Because of it, millions of young soldiers returning from the war went
to college, an opportunity unimaginable to many before. In fact, just
from the chairman's home State, Peter Rodino attended an institution as
a result of the GI bill. Richard Nixon, John Kennedy, I guess John
Kennedy did not need as much help with the resources that he had, but
it has helped dozens of other people. So that the majority of the
Congress in the year 1946 was comprised of World War II veterans, and I
just think it shows us how good it is.
I stand before my colleagues as one recipient who used my GI bill
benefits for education and for housing opportunities. So I am very
thankful, and I think the Nation should be proud of itself for doing
something so right at that important time.
Mr. Speaker, I stand before my colleagues, like so many other
veterans, as a beneficiary. That is why I support this joint
resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure to
commemorate the 60th anniversary of the GI Bill of Rights, and I want
to thank Sonny Montgomery for making sure that we had this review and
he with us today, if not in his presence, in our prayers and thoughts.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons), the
distinguished chairman of our Subcommittee on Health.
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman of the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the gentleman from New Jersey, for
extending to me time; and I rise in support of House Joint Resolution
91, which supports the recognition of the 60th anniversary of the
Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, more popularly known as the GI
bill, which transformed our country immediately after World War II and
brought the American dream to life.
It is my understanding that during an emergency meeting of the
American Legion leadership in 1943, Harry Colmery, a former national
commander, crafted the initial draft of the GI bill on hotel stationery
at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel. President Franklin Roosevelt signed
the GI bill on June 22, 1944.
The bill put the dream of a college education within grasp of all of
the veterans who came back from World War II who had served 90 days or
more, and they qualified for up to $500 per term for vocational school
or for college.
In my home State of Connecticut, at the University of Connecticut,
over 8,000 students enrolled during the period 1946 to 1947, four times
the number registered in the period shortly preceding the war.
When we think, Mr. Speaker, of the GI bill, we should not just think
of the Greatest Generation. We should think of the many tens of
thousands of veterans who since that time have taken advantage of the
GI bill; veterans, like myself, returning from service in Vietnam and
seeking additional education and then also my wife and I coming here to
Washington, D.C., in the early 1970s and looking for a house to buy and
appealing to the GI bill to assist us so that not only the dream of an
education and the dream of a better job but the dream of homeownership
came home to us because of the GI bill.
It makes me proud, Mr. Speaker, to be a life member of the American
Legion, knowing that it was the American Legion that initiated this
incredible transforming program for America's veterans.
I am excited to join my colleagues from the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs here today to celebrate the 60th anniversary of this wonderful
piece of legislation, and I thank my colleague, the gentleman from
Maine (Mr. Michaud), specifically for introducing this resolution.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Filner).
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maine (Mr.
Michaud) for his leadership on this and join with my colleagues in
calling for this resolution, which commemorates the 60th anniversary of
the GI Bill of Rights.
As the speakers before said, this is a perfect example of responsible
and progressive government, and it was truly an economic stimulus
package of far-reaching impact. Many authorities indicate that passage
of this GI Bill of Rights paid for itself many times over and largely
contributed to the post-World War II economic recovery.
Millions of veterans were helped in their transition from soldier to
citizen through unemployment compensation, education benefits, and down
payment on houses.
The chairman of the committee referred to the creation of the modern
middle class. I can well remember after my father volunteered in World
War II, the working-class family that I was a part of had to move in
with relatives and was renting a very small apartment.
{time} 1715
After he came home, I remember 55 years later the incredible feeling
of being able to move into our own home for the first time in our
lives. With a few thousand dollars down payment, and with the new homes
that were constructed by Levitt in New York, the American dream was
made possible for working-class families, such as my own, with the help
of the GI Bill of Rights. I will tell you that having a sense of your
own home was incredibly beneficial to my own family.
So it is appropriate as we approach the 60th anniversary of the
bill's enactment that we look back and celebrate the accomplishments of
the greatest generation. I would hope also that as we think about this
GI bill, we look forward as well. We must honor the sacrifices of the
men and women who make up the greatest generation, I think, by
investing in the current generation of servicemen and women and provide
them the necessary resources so they can succeed and continue the
legacy of this greatest generation.
There are a lot of ways to do that. The chairman of the committee,
the ranking member of the committee, have bills, for example, to make
mandatory the funding of our health care system rather than rely on the
appropriations process each year, where we fall behind, further and
further, on the adequate health treatment of our veterans. We must get
this on to a mandatory funding kind of scheme so we can give our
veterans the health care they deserve.
The education provided for in the GI bill that we are celebrating
today must be improved upon. We have tried to take steps forward, but
right now it pays only $985 a month to veterans who are attending
college. And that does not go too far. There is legislation, such as
H.R. 1713, the Montgomery GI Bill Improvements Act, that returns the GI
bill to its original intent that we are celebrating today by providing
full tuition to a public institution of higher learning, and books,
fees, and a living stipend for veterans who are students.
Interestingly enough, did my colleagues know there is one group in
World War II who were denied their rights under this GI bill that we
are celebrating today? The Merchant Marines. The Merchant Mariners of
World War II did not come under this bill we are celebrating. They
suffered the highest casualty rate of any of the branches of service,
and we might say have become the forgotten service. No legislation was
passed by this Congress to address their needs until 1988, when they
too were granted a watered-down version of the GI Bill of Rights.
I have legislation, H.R. 3721, it is called The Belated Thank You to
the Merchant Mariners of World War II, which will grant them
compensation to partially, because we can never really make up for it,
the 40 years they went without benefits that we are celebrating today,
benefits that could have
[[Page H2769]]
provided them, too, with an education and a home loan and a small
business loan.
Other steps that we can take. We have a discharge petition number 8
sitting beside me that would help widows of veterans to achieve some
measure of dignity in their old age. Those widows of servicemen and
servicewomen who paid years into the Survivors Benefit Program will
only get 35 percent of the retirement pension when they reach age 62.
This is not sufficient for people to live on. This is not a sufficient
thank-you for those who have been part of a family that have
contributed to our Armed Forces and to our Nation's security.
So let us think as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the GI Bill
of Rights and celebrate that wonderful act, let us rededicate ourselves
to the task that we have today. Let us honor past veterans by truly
honoring present and future veterans in the best way possible by living
up to the promises made by a grateful Nation.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).
Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and the chairman,
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), and my colleague on the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud),
for his great leadership as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on
Benefits.
Mr. Speaker, 60 years ago this June, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
signed into law one of the most extensive veterans packages to date:
the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the GI
Bill of Rights.
While our troops were fighting in World War II, the Department of
Labor estimated that after the war 15 million men and women who had
been serving in the Armed Services would be unemployed. To reduce the
possibility of postwar depression, a series of programs for educating
and training American troops were designed and recommended to Congress
by the American Legion.
Although some felt that the GI bill was too expensive and would lower
standards in education, the Congress quickly passed the measure. Now
the GI Bill of Rights is credited with contributing to the strong
recovery of the United States post-World War II economy, and is
recognized as one of the most successful domestic programs in the
United States.
The GI bill put higher education within the reach of millions of
World War II veterans. Starved for students during World War II,
college campuses were suddenly overcrowded. The percentage of college-
aged men and women grew. Students who had previously been told they
were not college material were able to rise to the academic challenge.
And most important, the GI bill accelerated the number of college-
educated Americans.
In the last 60 years, more than 21 million veterans have been able to
take advantage of the benefit included in the GI Bill of Rights.
Another important provision of the GI bill was the billions of dollars
provided to veterans to purchase homes and to start small businesses.
These loans allowed the majority of Americans to transform from renters
to homeowners, and the backbone of our economy, America's small
businesses, prospered.
The GI Bill of Rights has been amended several times through the
years, but the goal has remained the same, providing our veterans with
a variety of benefits. And for this we thank those who allowed and who
had the vision to pass forth this particular piece of legislation. And
we thank our veterans for their service.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume,
and, in closing, I do want to thank the good gentleman from New Jersey
(Mr. Smith), the chair of the committee, as well as the ranking member,
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), and the chair of the
Subcommittee on Benefits, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr.
Brown), for all the hard work that they do dealing with veterans'
issues, as well as staff on both sides of the aisle. They work very
well together. I do want to thank staff on both sides of the aisle for
their hard work in making sure we do what is right for the veterans
here in this country.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, if I could finally thank the gentleman from Maine (Mr.
Michaud) for his sponsorship of this resolution. It is very timely and
extremely appropriate. I thank him for his work on the subcommittee
and, of course, thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), our
ranking member, for all of his cooperation. We do things in
partnership, and it is greatly appreciated, and I think the veterans
benefit from that kind of bipartisanship.
The gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons) made the point, and I
think it was very well taken, about the great role the American Legion
played in drafting this legislation. At the time, there was talk of
maybe giving a $500 bonus to the returning GIs. Then out of the blue,
pretty much, Harry Colmery, who was the American Legion National
Commander in 1936, a World War I veteran, crafted, as the subcommittee
chairman pointed out, on Mayflower stationery this fine concept and
practically wrote the GI bill at the Mayflower Hotel. It was quickly
grasped by Members of Congress and the President as an extraordinarily
good idea, and it really did create the modern-day middle class.
One of the things I do when I wear my international affairs hat, as
chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, is to
strongly encourage the Eastern European countries, the Russians and
others, that if you want a stable middle class, this landmark
legislation crafted by the American Legion, and certainly pushed
through to completion by the Congress at the end of the world war, is
the way to go. It is historic and truly landmark legislation that has
profound positive implications and consequences.
I think recognizing it the way we are today is very proper and
fitting, and again I want to thank the gentleman from Maine (Mr.
Michaud) for that.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hayes). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution, H.J. Res. 91.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
____________________