G.I. Bill of Rights Day

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

WHEREAS, on June 22, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the Servicemembers' Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill of Rights, which has since benefited generations of servicemen and servicewomen in their transition to civilian life; and

WHEREAS, President Franklin Roosevelt noted that the passage of the G.I. Bill gave “emphatic notice to men and women of our armed forces that the American people do not intend to let them down;” and

WHEREAS, on June 30, 2008, the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, first introduced by Virginia Senator Jim Webb, became law, expanding benefits for veterans, including funding 100 percent of public four-year colleges and universities for veterans who served three years on active duty since September 11, 2001; and

WHEREAS, the G.I. Bill currently benefits more than 44,000 veterans and family members in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, in Federal Fiscal Year 2022, the G.I. Bill brought in more than $678 million in education funding to the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, more than 900 institutions provide training and education to veterans and their family members in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth continues to support the G.I. Bill and its pledge to meet the education needs of veterans and their family members and remains dedicated to strengthening this commitment for future generations;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize June 22, 2024, as G.I. BILL OF RIGHTS DAY in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the enactment of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

Governor of Virginia

Proclamations