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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 334 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 334

   Designating the week of November 6 through November 12, 2012, as 
                ``Veterans' Education Awareness Week.''

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 18, 2011

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Designating the week of November 6 through November 12, 2012, as 
                ``Veterans' Education Awareness Week.''

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.
                                 <all>
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