In response to widespread agitation for a bonus to returned soldiers at the close of the First World War, the Wisconsin state legislature enacted two soldiers' bonus surtax laws. The first of these laws, passed in 1919, provided for the payment of a cash bonus to every resident of Wisconsin who served in the war as a soldier, sailor, marine or nurse, at a rate of ten dollars per month from the date of enlistment to the date of discharge.
At a special session held in June, 1920, the legislature provided for a soldier's educational bonus in the amount of $30 a month for each soldier attending an institution of higher learning upon their return from the war.
The state bonus was funded by a tax of 3 mills on the dollar and an income tax, sufficient to raise an aggregate sum of approximately fifteen million dollars. Distribution of cash bonuses to Wisconsin's veterans, or their beneficiaries, began in March, 1920.
