119-hr1725

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1725 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

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 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 2025''.

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 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 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 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 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.
 <all>