SEC. 2. Findings.
(1) on March 15, 1919, The American Legion was founded in Paris, France, by members of the American Expeditionary Force occupying Europe after World War I and concerned about the welfare of their comrades and communities upon their return to the United States;
(2) on September 16, 1919, Congress chartered The American Legion, which quickly grew to become the largest veterans service organization in the United States;
(3) The American Legion conferences in Washington, DC, in 1923 and 1924 crafted the first United States Flag Code, which was adopted in schools, States, cities and counties prior to being enacted in 1942, establishing the proper use, display, and respect for the colors of the United States;
(4) during World War II, The American Legion developed and presented to Congress its case for vastly improved support for medically discharged, disabled veterans, which ultimately became the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284; chapter 268), better known as the G.I. Bill of Rights, and was drafted by former American Legion National Commander Harry W. Colmery in Washington’s Mayflower Hotel;
(5) through the leadership and advocacy of The American Legion, the G.I. Bill was enacted in June 1944, which led to monumental changes in United States society, including the democratization of higher education, home ownership for average people in the United States, better VA hospitals, business and farm loans for veterans, and the ability to appeal conditions of military discharge;
(6) defying those who argued the G.I. Bill would break the Treasury, according to various researchers, the G.I. Bill provided a tremendous return on investment of $7 to the United States economy for every $1 spent on the program, triggering a half-century of prosperity in the United States;
(7) after Hurricane Hugo in 1989, The American Legion established the National Emergency Fund to provide immediate cash relief for veterans who have been affected by natural disasters;
(8) American Legion National Emergency Fund grants after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, for instance, exceeded $1,700,000;
(9) The American Legion fought to see the Veterans Administration elevated to Cabinet-level status as the Department of Veterans Affairs, ensuring support for veterans would be set at the highest level of the Federal Government, as a priority issue for the President;
(10) after a decades-long struggle to improve the adjudication process for veterans disputing claims decisions, The American Legion helped shape and introduce the Veterans Reassurance Act to create a venue for judicial review of veterans’ appeals;
(11) building on these efforts, legislation was passed in 1988 to create the United States Court of Veterans Appeals, today known as the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims;
(12) The American Legion created the American Legacy Scholarship Fund for children of military members killed on active duty on or after September 11, 2001;
(13) in 2016, The American Legion’s National Executive Committee amended the original scholarship criteria to include children of veterans with 50 percent or greater VA disability ratings;
(14) President George W. Bush signed into law the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act (title V of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008; 122 Stat. 2357), a next-generation G.I. Bill strongly supported by The American Legion and the most comprehensive educational benefits package since the original G.I. Bill of Rights was enacted in 1944;
(15) in August 2018, The American Legion will begin its centennial recognition at the 100th National Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the site of the first American Legion National Convention; and
(16) in March 2019, the organization will celebrate its 100th birthday in Paris, France, and September 16, 2019, will mark the 100th anniversary of The American Legion’s Federal charter.
