HR0123 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0123 LRB095 06833 DRJ 26951 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to President George W. Bush, federal Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson, each member of the Illinois Congressional delegation, and the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.