HJ0087

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, On June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt 
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signed the "Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944", better 
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known as the "GI Bill of Rights"; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The bill at first was the subject of intense 
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debate and parliamentary maneuvering, but has since been 
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recognized as one of Congress' most important acts; and

 
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    WHEREAS, During the past five decades, the law has made 
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possible the investment of billions of dollars in education and 
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training for millions of veterans, and the nation has in return 
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earned many times that investment in increased taxes and a 
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dramatically changed society; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The law also made possible the loan of billions of 
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dollars to purchase homes for millions of veterans and helped 
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to transform the majority of
Americans from renters to 
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homeowners; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The 1944 GI Bill provided six benefits: education 
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and training; loan guarantees for a home, farm, or business; 
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unemployment pay; job-finding assistance; top priority for 
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building materials for VA hospitals; and military review of 
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dishonorable discharges; the home loan program is the only 
 


 






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feature of the original bill that is still in force; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The original GI Bill ended in 1956, but subsequent 
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GI Bills have continued the original bill's education and 
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training benefits; the bill currently in effect is the 
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Montgomery GI Bill, which provides benefits for veterans who 
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served after July 1, 1985, and for military reservists; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In signing the original GI Bill, President 
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Roosevelt stated that the Bill "gives emphatic notice to the 
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men and women in our armed forces that the American people do 
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not intend to let them down"; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Our servicemen and women have sacrificed much for 
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our country, and continued funding of GI Bill benefits is 
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imperative to ensure that they are treated with the respect 
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they deserve; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE 
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SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the federal government 
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to meet all of the financial obligations of the GI Bill; and be 
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it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to 
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President George W. Bush, federal Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
 


 






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James Peake, each member of the Illinois Congressional 
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delegation, and the Director of the Illinois Department of 
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Veterans' Affairs.