,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #cbaj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november #ae1 
#bjba,mr4 ,warnock introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 
to extend to ,black veterans of ,world  
,war ,,ii1 and surviving spouses and    
certain direct descendants of such      
veterans1 eligibility for certain       
housing loans and educational assistance
 administered by the ,secretary of      
,veterans ,affairs1 and for other       
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,sgt4 ,isaac        
,woodard1 ,jr4 and ,sgt4 ,joseph ,h4    
,maddox ,,gi ,bill ,restoration ,act of 
#bjba4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds   
the following3 7#a7 ,african ,americans 
played a pivotal role in the war effort 
during ,world ,war ,,ii1 with more than 
#a1bjj1jjj ,african ,americans serving  
in the ,armed ,forces1 and1 by #aide1   

approximately #a4i percent of all       
officers in the ,armed ,forces were     
,african ,americans4  7#b7 ,following   
,world ,war ,,ii1 the ,servicemen's     
,readjustment ,act of #aidd 7#eh ,stat4 
#bhd1 commonly known as the ,,gi ,bill7 
offered substantial material benefits to
 #af1jjj1jjj veterans to assist them in 
reintegrating into civil society4  7#c7 
,the ,,gi ,bill offered a range of      
economic and educational benefits       
administered by the ,federal ,government
 through the ,secretary of the ,veterans
 ,administration1 including monetary    
assistance to access higher education1  
government guarantees for housing loans1
 unemployment allowances1 and civilian  
workforce reentry assistance4  7#d7     
,though the legislative text of the ,,gi
 ,bill was race neutral1 the            
administration of benefits through      
national1 ,state1 and local ,veterans   
,administration offices resulted in a   
pattern of discrimination against racial
 minorities1 especially ,african        

,americans4  7#e7 ,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            
opportunities1 with just #f percent of  
,african-,american veterans of ,world   
,war ,,ii earning a college degree1     
compared to #ai percent of ,white       
veterans of ,world ,war ,,ii4  7#f7 ,in 
administering its housing guaranty      
program1 the ,veterans ,administration  
adopted the ,federal ,housing           
,administration's racial exclusion      
programs1 also known as redlining1 which
 excluded a significant number of       
,african ,americans from taking full    
advantage of the housing guaranty       
program4  7#g7 ,the ,,gi ,bill created  
substantial economic growth and wealth  
accumulation for those who could        
benefit1 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     
period4  #c4 ,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  7a7       
,establishment ,chapter #cg of title    
#ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended  
as follows3 7#a7 ,definition ,section   
#cgja7;b7 of such title is amended by   
adding at the end the following new     
paragraphs3  7#h7 ,the term veteran also
 includes1 for purposes of housing      
loans1 an individual who-- 7,a7 is      
,black2  7,b7 served on active duty as a
 member of the ,armed ,forces during    
,world ,war ,,ii2 and  7,c7 certifies to
 the ,secretary that such individual was
 denied a specific benefit under the    
,servicemen's ,readjustment ,act of     
#aidd 7#eh ,stat4 #bhd7 on the basis of 
race4  7#i7 ,the term veteran also      
includes1 for purposes of housing loans1

 an individual who-- 7,a7 is the        
surviving spouse1 child1 grandchild1 or 
other direct descendant of a veteran    
described in paragraph 7#h72  7,b7      
certifies to the ,secretary that such   
veteran described in paragraph 7#h7 was 
denied a specific benefit under the     
,servicemen's ,readjustment ,act of     
#aidd 7#eh ,stat4 #bhd7 on the basis of 
race2 and  7,c7 is living on the date of
 the enactment of the ,sgt4 ,isaac      
,woodard1 ,jr4 and ,sgt4 ,joseph ,h4    
,maddox ,,gi ,bill ,restoration ,act of 
#bjba4  4  7#b7 ,basic entitlement      
,section #cgjb7;a77#b77;,e7 of such     
title is amended by adding at the end   
the following new subparagraph3  7,h7   
,each individual-- 7i7 described in     
paragraph 7#h7 or 7#i7 of section       
#cgja7;b7 of this title2 and  7ii7 who  
applies for a housing loan during the   
five-year period beginning on the date  
of the enactment of the ,sgt4 ,isaac    
,woodard1 ,jr4 and ,sgt4 ,joseph ,h4    
,maddox ,,gi ,bill ,restoration ,act of 

#bjba4  4  7b7 ,deadline ,the ,secretary
 shall carry out the amendment made by  
this section not later than #ij days    
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act4  7c7 ,regulations ,the ,secretary 
of ,veterans ,affairs shall prescribe   
regulations to carry out the amendments 
made by this section4  7d7 ,,gao report 
,not later than one year after the      
deadline under subsection 7b71 the      
,comptroller ,general of the ,united    
,states shall submit to ,congress a     
report regarding-- 7#a7 the number of   
individuals who received housing loan   
benefits pursuant to the amendments made
 by this section2 and  7#b7 the total   
value of housing loan benefits          
administered by the ,secretary pursuant 
to the amendments made by this section4 
#d4 ,educational assistance for         
survivors and certain direct descendants
 of ,black veterans of ,world ,war ,,ii 
7a7 ,entitlement ,subsection 7b7 of     
section #ccaa of title #ch1 ,united     
,states ,code1 is amended by adding at  

the end the following new paragraph3    
7#ab7 ,an individual-- 7,a7 described in
 section #cgja7;b77#i7 of this title2   
and  7,b7 who applies for educational   
assistance under this chapter during the
 five-year period beginning on the date 
of the enactment of the ,sgt4 ,isaac    
,woodard1 ,jr4 and ,sgt4 ,joseph ,h4    
,maddox ,,gi ,bill ,restoration ,act of 
#bjba4  4  7b7 ,deadline ,the ,secretary
 shall carry out the amendment made by  
this section not later than #ij days    
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act4  7c7 ,regulations ,the ,secretary 
of ,veterans ,affairs shall prescribe   
regulations to carry out the amendment  
made by this section4  7d7 ,,gao report 
,not later than one year after the      
deadline under subsection 7b71 the      
,comptroller ,general of the ,united    
,states shall submit to ,congress a     
report regarding-- 7#a7 the number of   
individuals who received educational    
assistance pursuant to the amendment    
made by this section2 and  7#b7 the     

total amount of educational assistance  
paid by the ,secretary pursuant to the  
amendment made by this section4  #e4    
,blue ,ribbon panel on benefits and     
assistance for female and minority      
veterans  7a7 ,establishment ,not later 
than #cj days after the date of the     
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,veterans ,affairs shall1 pursuant to
 the ,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act 
7,public ,law #ib-dfc2 #e ,u4,s4,c4     
,app471 appoint a panel of independent  
experts on-- 7#a7 inequities in the     
distribution of benefits and assistance 
administered by the ,secretary2 and     
7#b7 military service by female and     
minority members of the ,armed ,forces4 
7b7 ,duties ,the panel shall develop    
recommendations regarding additional    
benefits and assistance for individuals 
described in subsection 7a77#b71 and    
related legislation4  7c7 ,report ,not  
later than one year after the date of   
the enactment of this ,act1 the panel   
shall submit to ,congress and the       

,president a report containing the      
recommendations developed under this    
section4