[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1255 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1255
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 28, 2023
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 administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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 2023''.
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 Americans.
(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 reintegrating 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 access higher education, government guarantees
for housing loans, unemployment allowances, and civilian
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 Administration offices resulted in a
pattern of discrimination against racial minorities, especially
African Americans.
(5) Veterans Administration benefits counselors denied
African Americans access to educational benefits 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 earning a college degree, compared to 19 percent of White
veterans of World War II.
(6) In administering its housing guaranty program, the
Veterans Administration adopted the Federal Housing
Administration's racial exclusion programs, also known as
redlining, which excluded a significant number of African
Americans from taking 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.
SEC. 3. HOUSING LOANS GUARANTEED BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
FOR BLACK VETERANS 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 purposes 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 purposes of
housing loans, an individual who--
``(A) is the surviving spouse, child, grandchild,
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 a specific
benefit under the Servicemen's Readjustment 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 2023.''.
(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 2023.''.
(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 Affairs shall prescribe
regulations to carry out the amendments 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 regarding--
(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 administered
by the Secretary pursuant to the amendments 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 2023.''.
(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 Affairs shall prescribe
regulations to carry out the amendment 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 regarding--
(1) the number of individuals who received educational
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 ASSISTANCE FOR FEMALE AND
MINORITY VETERANS.
(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.), appoint 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.
(b) Duties.--The panel shall develop recommendations regarding
additional benefits and assistance for individuals described in
subsection (a)(2), and related legislation.
(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 recommendations developed under this
section.
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