[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 177 (Friday, November 18, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S7835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 334--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 6 THROUGH 
      NOVEMBER 12, 2012, AS ``VETERANS EDUCATION AWARENESS WEEK.''

  Mr. MENENDEZ submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 334

       Whereas brave men and women throughout the history of the 
     United States have served with honor in the United States 
     Armed Forces;
       Whereas since President Franklin Roosevelt signed the first 
     GI Bill, the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 
     284, chapter 268), the Federal Government has provided 
     Federal aid to help veterans readjust to civilian life, 
     including financial assistance for tuition, books, and 
     supplies, and other fees for education;
       Whereas by the time the first GI Bill expired on July 25, 
     1956, approximately 7,800,000 of the 16,000,000 World War II 
     veterans had participated in an education or training program 
     by using benefits provided through the GI Bill;
       Whereas recognizing the educational needs for a new 
     generation of veterans, Congress passed and President Bush 
     signed the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 
     2008 (38 U.S.C. 3301 et seq.) to provide educational benefits 
     for veterans who have served in the United States Armed 
     Forces since September 11, 2001;
       Whereas the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act 
     of 2008 provides educational benefits for veterans, including 
     active duty Army National Guard and Army Reserve members that 
     significantly reduce the cost of attending college;
       Whereas according the Census Bureau, employees with an 
     associate degree earn 26.3 percent more than employees with 
     only a high school diploma and employees with a bachelor 
     degree earn 87.4 percent more than employees with only a high 
     school diploma;
       Whereas making postsecondary education and job training 
     available is critical to creating access to opportunity in 
     the economy of the 21st century;
       Whereas the lack of awareness of available educational 
     benefits, or how to attain them, can deter veterans from 
     seeking postsecondary education;
       Whereas according to a survey conducted by the American 
     Council on Education during the first year after the date of 
     enactment of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance 
     Act of 2008, 38 percent of survey respondents reported having 
     difficulty understanding and choosing the best education 
     benefits for their needs; and
       Whereas Veterans' Education Awareness Week is an 
     appropriate time to make veterans across the United States 
     aware of the valuable information that they can access 
     through organizations such as Operation College Promise, 
     which provides ongoing updates on transitional assistance for 
     military-affiliated students: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate designates the week of November 6 
     through November 12, 2012, as ``Veterans' Education Awareness 
     Week'' to raise public awareness about--
       (1) the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 
     2008;
       (2) the educational benefits to which veterans are 
     entitled; and
       (3) the resources available to help veterans maximize 
     educational benefits under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational 
     Assistance Act of 2008.

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