[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9015-9019]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 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;

[[Page 9016]]

       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, 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.

[[Page 9017]]

  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 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

[[Page 9018]]

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 9019]]

 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.

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