It is often heralded as one of the most significant pieces of legislation ever produced by the federal government, but it didn’t come about easily. The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 — commonly known as the GI Bill — nearly stalled in Congress as members of the House and Senate debated provisions of the controversial bill. It eventually passed the House when Rep. John Gibson of Georgia was rushed in to cast the tie-breaking vote. The Senate approved the final form of the bill on June 12, and the House followed on June 13. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it into law on June 22, 1944. The Veterans Administration (VA) was responsible for carrying out the law’s key provisions. Since then, millions of veterans have benefitted from the GI Bill and Post-9/11 GI Bill. This GI Bill timeline highlights the significant milestones of the legislation over the last 70 years.
