IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 451 

Expressing support for the designation of the week of June 16 through 

June 23, 2019, as National GI Bill Commemoration Week and Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act 

of 1944. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 19, 2019 

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. BILIRAKIS, 

Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. BANKS, and Mr. BOST) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the designation of the week of June 

16 through June 23, 2019, as National GI Bill Commemoration Week and Celebrating the 75th Anniversary 

of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944. 

Whereas, on July 28, 1943, in seeking a solution to integrate 

returning members of the Armed Forces into civilian life, 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt called for a comprehensive set of veterans benefits during a fireside chat saying, 

‘‘While concentrating on military victory, we are not neglecting the planning of things to come . . . among many 

other things we are, today, laying plans for the return to 

civilian life of our gallant men and women in the Armed 

Services.’’; 


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•HRES 451 IH 

Whereas, on June 22, 1944, in demonstration of the full support of the United States for the transition of members 

of the Armed Forces to civilian life, President Franklin 

D. Roosevelt signed into law the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284), more commonly known 

as the ‘‘G.I. Bill of Rights’’; 

Whereas such Act was the culmination of the tireless work 

and advocacy of Veteran Service Organizations and Members of Congress; 

Whereas such Act made immediate financial support, transformative educational benefits, and home loan guarantees 

available to the 16,000,000 veterans who served in the 

Armed Forces during World War II; 

Whereas such Act helped 7,800,000 veterans enroll in postsecondary education or training and democratize higher 

education in America and caused total post-secondary 

education enrollment to grow exponentially from 

1,676,856 in 1945, with veterans accounting for 5.2 percent of the total, to 2,338,226 in 1947, with veterans accounting for 49.2 percent of that total; 

Whereas such Act contributed 450,000 engineers, 240,000 

accountants, 238,000 teachers, 91,000 scientists, 67,000 

doctors, 122,000 dentists, 17,000 writers and editors, 

and thousands of other professionals to the workforce of 

the United States and expanded the middle class more 

than at any other point in American history; 

Whereas such Act expressed the duty, responsibility, and desire of a grateful United States to see to it that those 

who served on active duty in the Armed Forces are afforded every opportunity to become disciplined forces for 


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•HRES 451 IH 

prosperity and progress in the United States through 

economic opportunity and investment; 

Whereas Congress enacted subsequent Acts to provide educational assistance to new generations of veterans, including the Veterans’ Readjustment Benefits Act of 1966 

(Public Law 89–358), the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans’ 

Educational Assistance Act of 1977 (Public Law 94– 

502), the Veterans’ Educational Assistance Act of 1984 

(Public Law 98–525), the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–252), 

and the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–247); 

Whereas since the signing of such Act, the U.S. Department 

of Veterans Affairs has paid about $400 billion in educational benefits to 25 million veterans and their loved 

ones who continue to excel academically in post-secondary 

education; 

Whereas such Act created the U.S. Department of Veterans 

Affairs Home Loan Guarantee program, which, since 

1944, has provided a pathway for 24 million veterans to 

purchase a home guaranteed by the Department, the majority of which are purchased with no down payment; 

Whereas such Act improved health care opportunities for veterans by transferring medical facilities from the U.S. 

Army and U.S. Navy and providing funding for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals; 

Whereas this combination of opportunities changed the social 

and economic fabric of the United States for the better, 

with a 1988 report from the Subcommittee on Education 

and Health of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress concluding that for every $1 the United States inVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Jun 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR451.IH HR451

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•HRES 451 IH 

vested in such Act, $6.90 was returned in growth to the 

economy of the United States; 

Whereas 1,262 Members of Congress served in the U.S. military on or after June 22, 1944, and, therefore, many 

Members of Congress directly benefitted from the passage of this Act; 

Whereas June 22, 2019, is the 75th Anniversary of the Act 

being signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt; 

and 

Whereas the week of June 16 through June 23, 2019, is an 

appropriate week to designate as ‘‘National GI Bill Commemoration Week’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) honors the achievements of the Servicemen’s 

3 Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284) in democ4 ratizing higher education, increasing home owner5 ship, establishing greater citizenship through eco6 nomic empowerment, and empowering a generation 

7 that would serve for decades to guide the trans8 formation of the United States into a global force 

9 for good; 

10 (2) considers those veterans benefitting from 

11 the GI Bill on this Anniversary to be equal to the 

12 challenge of creating a lasting American prosperity 

13 as their forebears, and have the opportunity to be14 come the heirs to the Greatest Generation; 


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1 (3) affirms the responsibility of Congress to be 

2 faithful stewards of educational assistance provided 

3 under laws administered by the Secretary of Vet4 erans Affairs to ensure that such assistance endures 

5 as an honorable investment of public dollars; and 

6 (4) encourages all Americans to celebrate the 

7 75th Anniversary of the signing of the Servicemen’s 

8 Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284) by Presi9 dent Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

Æ 


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