I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2723 

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 

MAY 26, 2005 

Mr. RANGEL 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 2005’’. 

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

7 this Act is as follows: 
2 

•HR 2723 IH 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. National service obligation. 

Sec. 3. Fifteen-month 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 reserve 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. 
3 

•HR 2723 IH 

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 reserve 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. FIFTEEN-MONTH 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 15 months. 

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 
4 

•HR 2723 IH 

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 reserve component of 

12 the uniformed services for a period of at least 15 

13 months, 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 
5 

•HR 2723 IH 

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. 
6 

•HR 2723 IH 

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. 
7 

•HR 2723 IH 

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. 
8 

•HR 2723 IH 

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 
9 

•HR 2723 IH 

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 15 

6 months training therein. 

7 SEC. 8. CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION. 

8 (a) CLAIMS AS CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR.—Noth9 ing in this Act shall be construed to require a person to 

10 be subject to combatant training and service in the uni11 formed services, if that person, by reason of sincerely held 

12 moral, ethical, or religious beliefs, is conscientiously op13 posed to participation in war in any form. 

14 (b) ALTERNATIVE NONCOMBATANT OR CIVILIAN

15 SERVICE.—A person who claims exemption from combat16 ant training and service under subsection (a) and whose 

17 claim is sustained by the local board shall— 

18 (1) be assigned to noncombatant service (as de19 fined by the President), if the person is inducted 

20 into the uniformed services; or 

21 (2) be ordered by the local board, if found to 

22 be conscientiously opposed to participation in such 

23 noncombatant service, to perform national civilian 

24 service for the period specified in section 3(a) and 
10 

•HR 2723 IH 

1 subject to such regulations as the President may 

2 prescribe. 

3 SEC. 9. DISCHARGE FOLLOWING NATIONAL SERVICE. 

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

5 the obligation to perform national service under this Act, 

6 a person shall be discharged from the uniformed services 

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

8 be subject to any further service under this Act. 

9 (b) COORDINATION WITH OTHER AUTHORITIES.— 

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

11 active service in the uniformed services of any person who 

12 is a member of a regular or reserve component of the uni13 formed services. 

14 SEC. 10. REGISTRATION OF FEMALES UNDER THE MILI15 TARY SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT. 

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

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

18 amended— 

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

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

21 and 

22 (3) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the per23 son’’. 
11 

•HR 2723 IH 

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

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

3 is amended by striking ‘‘men’’ and inserting ‘‘persons’’. 

4 SEC. 11. RELATION OF ACT TO REGISTRATION AND INDUC5 TION AUTHORITY OF MILITARY SELECTIVE 

6 SERVICE ACT. 

7 (a) REGISTRATION.—Section 4 of the Military Selec8 tive Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 454) is amended by in9 serting after subsection (g) the following new subsection: 

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

11 induction of persons into the Armed Forces pursuant to 

12 the Universal National Service Act of 2005.’’. 

13 (b) INDUCTION.—Section 17(c) of the Military Selec14 tive Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 467(c)) is amended by 

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

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

17 to the Universal National Service Act of 2005.’’. 

18 SEC. 12. DEFINITIONS. 

19 In this Act: 

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

21 performed as a member of an active or reserve com22 ponent of the uniformed services. 

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

24 Secretary of Defense with respect to the Army, 

25 Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, the Secretary 
12 

•HR 2723 IH 

1 of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast 

2 Guard, the Secretary of Commerce, with respect to 

3 matters concerning the National Oceanic and At4 mospheric Administration, and the Secretary of 

5 Health and Human Services, with respect to matters 

6 concerning the Public Health Service. 

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

8 geographical sense, means the several States, the 

9 District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Is10 lands, and Guam. 

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

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

13 commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and At14 mospheric Administration, and commissioned corps 

15 of the Public Health Service. 

Æ