I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1725 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend to Black veterans of 
World War II, and surviving spouses and certain direct descendants 
of such veterans, eligibility for certain housing loans and educational 
assistance administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 27, 2025 
Mr. MOULTON (for himself and Mr. CLYBURN) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend to Black 
veterans of World War II, and surviving spouses and 
certain direct descendants of such veterans, eligibility 
for certain housing loans and educational assistance ad-
ministered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sgt. Isaac Woodard, 
Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act 
of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) African Americans played a pivotal role in 
the war effort during World War II, with more than 
1,200,000 African Americans serving in the Armed 
Forces, and, by 1945, approximately 1.9 percent of 
all officers in the Armed Forces were African Ameri-
cans. 
(2) Following World War II, the Servicemen’s 
Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284, commonly 
known as the ‘‘GI Bill’’) offered substantial material 
benefits to 16,000,000 veterans to assist them in re-
integrating into civil society. 
(3) The GI Bill offered a range of economic and 
educational benefits administered by the Federal 
Government through the Secretary of the Veterans 
Administration, including monetary assistance to ac-
cess higher education, government guarantees for 
housing loans, unemployment allowances, and civil-
ian workforce reentry assistance. 
(4) Though the legislative text of the GI Bill 
was race neutral, the administration of benefits 
through national, State, and local Veterans Adminis-
tration offices resulted in a pattern of discrimination 
against racial minorities, especially African Ameri-
cans. 
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(5) Veterans Administration benefits counselors 
denied African Americans access to educational ben-
efits at certain universities and funneled applicants 
into industrial and vocational schools rather than 
higher education opportunities, with just 6 percent 
of African-American veterans of World War II earn-
ing a college degree, compared to 19 percent of 
White veterans of World War II. 
(6) In administering its housing guaranty pro-
gram, the Veterans Administration adopted the Fed-
eral Housing Administration’s racial exclusion pro-
grams, also known as redlining, which excluded a 
significant number of African Americans from tak-
ing full advantage of the housing guaranty program. 
(7) The GI Bill created substantial economic 
growth and wealth accumulation for those who could 
benefit, but discriminatory administration of the 
program prevented many African-American veterans 
of World War II from enjoying the full economic 
prosperity of the post-war period. 
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SEC. 3. HOUSING LOANS GUARANTEED BY THE SECRETARY 
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR BLACK VET-
ERANS OF WORLD WAR II AND SURVIVORS 
AND CERTAIN DIRECT DESCENDANTS OF 
SUCH VETERANS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Chapter 37 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended as follows: 
(1) DEFINITION.—Section 3701(b) of such title 
is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(8) The term ‘veteran’ also includes, for pur-
poses of housing loans, an individual who— 
‘‘(A) is Black; 
‘‘(B) served on active duty as a member of 
the Armed Forces during World War II; and 
‘‘(C) certifies to the Secretary that such 
individual was denied a specific benefit under 
the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 
Stat. 284) on the basis of race. 
‘‘(9) The term ‘veteran’ also includes, for pur-
poses of housing loans, an individual who— 
‘‘(A) is the surviving spouse, child, grand-
child, or other direct descendant of a veteran 
described in paragraph (8); 
‘‘(B) certifies to the Secretary that such 
veteran described in paragraph (8) was denied 
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a specific benefit under the Servicemen’s Read-
justment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284) on the 
basis of race; and 
‘‘(C) is living on the date of the enactment 
of the Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. Joseph 
H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act of 2025.’’. 
(2) 
BASIC
ENTITLEMENT.—Section 
3702(a)(2)(E) of such title is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(H) Each individual— 
‘‘(i) described in paragraph (8) or (9) of 
section 3701(b) of this title; and 
‘‘(ii) who applies for a housing loan during 
the five-year period beginning on the date of 
the enactment of the Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. 
and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration 
Act of 2025.’’. 
(b) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall carry out the 
amendment made by this section not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall prescribe regulations to carry out the amend-
ments made by this section. 
(d) GAO REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 
deadline under subsection (b), the Comptroller General of 
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the United States shall submit to Congress a report re-
garding— 
(1) the number of individuals who received 
housing loan benefits pursuant to the amendments 
made by this section; and 
(2) the total value of housing loan benefits ad-
ministered by the Secretary pursuant to the amend-
ments made by this section. 
SEC. 4. EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR SURVIVORS AND 
CERTAIN DIRECT DESCENDANTS OF BLACK 
VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II. 
(a) ENTITLEMENT.—Subsection (b) of section 3311 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(12) An individual— 
‘‘(A) described in section 3701(b)(9) of 
this title; and 
‘‘(B) who applies for educational assistance 
under this chapter during the five-year period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of the 
Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. 
Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act of 2025.’’. 
(b) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall carry out the 
amendment made by this section not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
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(c) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall prescribe regulations to carry out the amend-
ment made by this section. 
(d) GAO REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 
deadline under subsection (b), the Comptroller General of 
the United States shall submit to Congress a report re-
garding— 
(1) the number of individuals who received edu-
cational assistance pursuant to the amendment 
made by this section; and 
(2) the total amount of educational assistance 
paid by the Secretary pursuant to the amendment 
made by this section. 
SEC. 5. BLUE RIBBON PANEL ON BENEFITS AND ASSIST-
ANCE FOR FEMALE AND MINORITY VET-
ERANS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 30 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall, pursuant to the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (Public Law 92–463; 5 U.S.C. App.), ap-
point a panel of independent experts on— 
(1) inequities in the distribution of benefits and 
assistance administered by the Secretary; and 
(2) military service by female and minority 
members of the Armed Forces. 
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(b) DUTIES.—The panel shall develop recommenda-
tions regarding additional benefits and assistance for indi-
viduals described in subsection (a)(2), and related legisla-
tion. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the panel shall submit to 
Congress and the President a report containing the rec-
ommendations developed under this section. 
Æ 
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