I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 163

To provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons 

in the United States, including women, perform a period of military 

service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national 

defense and homeland security, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 7, 2003

Mr. RANGEL (for himself, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. LEWIS of 

Georgia, Mr. STARK, and Mr. ABERCROMBIE) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL

To provide for the common defense by requiring that all 

young persons in the United States, including women, 

perform a period of military service or a period of civilian 

service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Universal National Service Act of 2003’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows:
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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. National service obligation. 

Sec. 3. Two-year period of national service. 

Sec. 4. Implementation by the President. 

Sec. 5. Induction. 

Sec. 6. Deferments and postponements. 

Sec. 7. Induction exemptions. 

Sec. 8. Conscientious objection. 

Sec. 9. Discharge following national service. 

Sec. 10. Registration of females under the Military Selective Service Act. 

Sec. 11. Relation of Act to registration and induction authority of Military Selective Service Act. 

Sec. 12. Definitions.

1 SEC. 2. NATIONAL SERVICE OBLIGATION. 

2 (a) OBLIGATION FOR YOUNG PERSONS.—It is the ob3 ligation of every citizen of the United States, and every 

4 other person residing in the United States, who is between 

5 the ages of 18 and 26 to perform a period of national 

6 service as prescribed in this Act unless exempted under 

7 the provisions of this Act. 

8 (b) FORM OF NATIONAL SERVICE.—National service 

9 under this Act shall be performed either—

10 (1) as a member of an active or reverse compo11 nent of the uniformed services; or 

12 (2) in a civilian capacity that, as determined by 

13 the President, promotes the national defense, includ14 ing national or community service and homeland se15 curity. 

16 (c) INDUCTION REQUIREMENTS.—The President 

17 shall provide for the induction of persons covered by sub18 section (a) to perform national service under this Act. 
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1 (d) SELECTION FOR MILITARY SERVICE.—Based 

2 upon the needs of the uniformed services, the President 

3 shall—

4 (1) determine the number of persons covered by 

5 subsection (a) whose service is to be performed as a 

6 member of an active or reverse component of the 

7 uniformed services; and 

8 (2) select the individuals among those persons 

9 who are to be inducted for military service under 

10 this Act. 

11 (e) CIVILIAN SERVICE.—Persons covered by sub12 section (a) who are not selected for military service under 

13 subsection (d) shall perform their national service obliga14 tion under this Act in a civilian capacity pursuant to sub15 section (b)(2). 

16 SEC. 3. TWO-YEAR PERIOD OF NATIONAL SERVICE. 

17 (a) GENERAL RULE.—Except as otherwise provided 

18 in this section, the period of national service performed 

19 by a person under this Act shall be two years. 

20 (b) GROUNDS FOR EXTENSION.—At the discretion of 

21 the President, the period of military service for a member 

22 of the uniformed services under this Act may be ex23 tended—

24 (1) with the consent of the member, for the 

25 purpose of furnishing hospitalization, medical, or 
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1 surgical care for injury or illness incurred in line of 

2 duty; or 

3 (2) for the purpose of requiring the member to 

4 compensate for any time lost to training for any 

5 cause. 

6 (c) EARLY TERMINATION.—The period of national 

7 service for a person under this Act shall be terminated 

8 before the end of such period under the following cir9 cumstances: 

10 (1) The voluntary enlistment and active service 

11 of the person in an active or reverse component of 

12 the uniformed services for a period of at least two 

13 years, in which case the period of basic military 

14 training and education actually served by the person 

15 shall be counted toward the term of enlistment. 

16 (2) The admission and service of the person as 

17 a cadet or midshipman at the United States Military 

18 Academy, the United States Naval Academy, the 

19 United States Air Force Academy, the Coast Guard 

20 Academy, or the United States Merchant Marine 

21 Academy. 

22 (3) The enrollment and service of the person in 

23 an officer candidate program, if the person has 

24 signed an agreement to accept a Reserve commission 

25 in the appropriate service with an obligation to serve
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1 on active duty if such a commission is offered upon 

2 completion of the program. 

3 (4) Such other grounds as the President may 

4 establish. 

5 SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION BY THE PRESIDENT. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall prescribe 

7 such regulations as are necessary to carry out this Act. 

8 (b) MATTER TO BE COVERED BY REGULATIONS.—

9 Such regulations shall include specification of the fol10 lowing: 

11 (1) The types of civilian service that may be 

12 performed for a person’s national service obligation 

13 under this Act. 

14 (2) Standards for satisfactory performance of 

15 civilian service and of penalties for failure to per16 form civilian service satisfactorily. 

17 (3) The manner in which persons shall be se18 lected for induction under this Act, including the 

19 manner in which those selected will be notified of 

20 such selection. 

21 (4) All other administrative matters in connec22 tion with the induction of persons under this Act 

23 and the registration, examination, and classification 

24 of such persons. 
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1 (5) A means to determine questions or claims 

2 with respect to inclusion for, or exemption or 

3 deferment from induction under this Act, including 

4 questions of conscientious objection. 

5 (6) Standards for compensation and benefits 

6 for persons performing their national service obliga7 tion under this Act through civilian service. 

8 (7) Such other matters as the President deter9 mines necessary to carry out this Act. 

10 (c) USE OF PRIOR ACT.—To the extent determined 

11 appropriate by the President, the President may use for 

12 purposes of this Act the procedures provided in the Mili13 tary Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 451 et seq.), 

14 including procedures for registration, selection, and induc15 tion. 

16 SEC. 5. INDUCTION. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Every person subject to induction 

18 for national service under this Act, except those whose 

19 training is deferred or postponed in accordance with this 

20 Act, shall be called and inducted by the President for such 

21 service at the time and place specified by the President. 

22 (b) AGE LIMITS.—A person may be inducted under 

23 this Act only if the person has attained the age of 18 and 

24 has not attained the age of 26. 
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1 (c) VOLUNTARY INDUCTION.—A person subject to in2 duction under this Act may volunteer for induction at a 

3 time other than the time at which the person is otherwise 

4 called for induction. 

5 (d) EXAMINATION; CLASSIFICATION.—Every person 

6 subject to induction under this Act shall, before induction, 

7 be physically and mentally examined and shall be classified 

8 as to fitness to perform national service. The President 

9 may apply different classification standards for fitness for 

10 military service and fitness for civilian service. 

11 SEC. 6. DEFERMENTS AND POSTPONEMENTS. 

12 (a) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.—A person who is pur13 suing a standard course of study, on a full-time basis, in 

14 a secondary school or similar institution of learning shall 

15 be entitled to have induction under this Act postponed 

16 until the person—

17 (1) obtains a high school diploma; 

18 (2) ceases to pursue satisfactorily such course 

19 of study; or 

20 (3) attains the age of 20. 

21 (b) HARDSHIP AND DISABILITY.—Deferments from 

22 national service under this Act may be made for—

23 (1) extreme hardship; or 

24 (2) physical or mental disability. 
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1 (c) TRAINING CAPACITY.—The President may post2 pone or suspend the induction of persons for military serv3 ice under this Act as necessary to limit the number of per4 sons receiving basic military training and education to the 

5 maximum number that can be adequately trained. 

6 (d) TERMINATION.—No deferment or postponement 

7 of induction under this Act shall continue after the cause 

8 of such deferment or postponement ceases. 

9 SEC. 7. INDUCTION EXEMPTIONS. 

10 (a) QUALIFICATIONS.— No person may be inducted 

11 for military service under this Act unless the person is 

12 acceptable to the Secretary concerned for training and 

13 meets the same health and physical qualifications applica14 ble under section 505 of title 10, United States Code, to 

15 persons seeking original enlistment in a regular compo16 nent of the Armed Forces. 

17 (b) OTHER MILITARY SERVICE.—No person shall be 

18 liable for induction under this Act who—

19 (1) is serving, or has served honorably for at 

20 least six months, in any component of the uniformed 

21 services on active duty; or 

22 (2) is or becomes a cadet or midshipman at the 

23 United States Military Academy, the United States 

24 Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Acad25 emy, the Coast Guard Academy, the United States
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1 Merchant Marine Academy, a midshipman of a Navy 

2 accredited State maritime academy, a member of the 

3 Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or the 

4 naval aviation college program, so long as that per5 son satisfactorily continues in and completes two 

6 years training therein. 

7 SEC. 8. CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION. 

8 (a) CLAIMS AS CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR.—Any 

9 person selected under this Act for induction into the uni10 formed services who claims, because of religious training 

11 and belief (as defined in section 6(j) of the Military Selec12 tive Service Act (50 U.S.C. 456(j))), exemption from com13 batant training included as part of that military service 

14 and whose claim is sustained under such procedures as 

15 the President may prescribe, shall, when inducted, partici16 pate in military service that does not include any combat17 ant training component. 

18 (b) TRANSFER TO CIVILIAN SERVICE.—Any such 

19 person whose claim is sustained may, at the discretion of 

20 the President, be transferred to a national service program 

21 for performance of such person’s national service obliga22 tion under this Act. 

23 SEC. 9. DISCHARGE FOLLOWING NATIONAL SERVICE. 

24 (a) DISCHARGE.—Upon completion or termination of 

25 the obligation to perform national service under this Act, 
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1 a person shall be discharged from the uniformed services 

2 or from civilian service, as the case may be, and shall not 

3 be subject to any further service under this Act. 

4 (b) COORDINATION WITH OTHER AUTHORITIES.—

5 Nothing in this section shall limit or prohibit the call to 

6 active service in the uniformed services of any person who 

7 is a member of a regular or reserve component of the uni8 formed services. 

9 SEC. 10. REGISTRATION OF FEMALES UNDER THE MILI10 TARY SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT. 

11 (a) REGISTRATION REQUIRED.—Section 3(a) of the 

12 Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. 453(a)) is 

13 amended—

14 (1) by striking ‘‘male’’ both places it appears; 

15 (2) by inserting ‘‘or herself’’ after ‘‘himself’’; 

16 and 

17 (3) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the per18 son’’. 

19 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 16(a) of 

20 the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 466(a)) 

21 is amended by striking ‘‘men’’ and inserting ‘‘persons’’.
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1 SEC. 11. RELATION OF ACT TO REGISTRATION AND INDUC2 TION AUTHORITY OF MILITARY SELECTIVE 

3 SERVICE ACT. 

4 (a) REGISTRATION.—Section 4 of the Military Selec5 tive Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 454) is amended by in6 serting after subsection (g) the following new subsection: 

7 ‘‘(h) This section does not apply with respect to the 

8 induction of persons into the Armed Forces pursuant to 

9 the Universal National Service Act of 2003.’’. 

10 (b) INDUCTION.—Section 17(c) of the Military Selec11 tive Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 467(c)) is amended by 

12 striking ‘‘now or hereafter’’ and all that follows through 

13 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘inducted pursuant 

14 to the Universal National Service Act of 2003.’’.

15 SEC. 12. DEFINITIONS. 

16 In this Act: 

17 (1) The term ‘‘military service’’ means service 

18 performed as a member of an active or reverse com19 ponent of the uniformed services. 

20 (2) The term ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ means the 

21 Secretary of Defense with respect to the Army, 

22 Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, the Secretary 

23 of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast 

24 Guard, the Secretary of Commerce, with respect to 

25 matters concerning the National Oceanic and At26 mospheric Administration, and the Secretary of 
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1 Health and Human Services, with respect to matters 

2 concerning the Public Health Service. 

3 (3) The term ‘‘United States’’, when used in a 

4 geographical sense, means the several States, the 

5 District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Is6 lands, and Guam. 

7 (4) The term ‘‘uniformed services’’ means the 

8 Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, 

9 commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and At10 mospheric Administration, and commissioned corps 

11 of the Public Health Service.

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