I 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4752 

To provide for the common defense by requiring all persons in the United 

States, including women, between the ages of 18 and 42 to 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 

FEBRUARY 14, 2006 

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 all persons 

in the United States, including women, between the ages 

of 18 and 42 to 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 2006’’. 
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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

2 this Act is as follows: 

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. 

3 SEC. 2. NATIONAL SERVICE OBLIGATION. 

4 (a) OBLIGATION FOR SERVICE.—It is the obligation 

5 of every citizen of the United States, and every other per6 son residing in the United States, who is between the ages 

7 of 18 and 42 to perform a period of national service as 

8 prescribed in this Act unless exempted under the provi9 sions of this Act. 

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

11 under this Act shall be performed either— 

12 (1) as a member of an active or reserve compo13 nent of the uniformed services; or 

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

15 the President, promotes the national defense, includ16 ing national or community service and homeland se17 curity. 
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1 (c) INDUCTION REQUIREMENTS.—The President 

2 shall provide for the induction of persons covered by sub3 section (a) to perform national service under this Act. 

4 (d) SELECTION FOR MILITARY SERVICE.—Based 

5 upon the needs of the uniformed services, the President 

6 shall— 

7 (1) determine the number of persons covered by 

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

9 member of an active or reserve component of the 

10 uniformed services; and 

11 (2) select the individuals among those persons 

12 who are to be inducted for military service under 

13 this Act. 

14 (e) CIVILIAN SERVICE.—Persons covered by sub15 section (a) who are not selected for military service under 

16 subsection (d) shall perform their national service obliga17 tion under this Act in a civilian capacity pursuant to sub18 section (b)(2). 

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

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

21 in this section, the period of national service performed 

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

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

24 the President, the period of military service for a member 
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1 of the uniformed services under this Act may be ex2 tended— 

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

4 purpose of furnishing hospitalization, medical, or 

5 surgical care for injury or illness incurred in line of 

6 duty; or 

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

8 compensate for any time lost to training for any 

9 cause. 

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

11 service for a person under this Act shall be terminated 

12 before the end of such period under the following cir13 cumstances: 

14 (1) The voluntary enlistment and active service 

15 of the person in an active or reserve component of 

16 the uniformed services for a period of at least two 

17 years, in which case the period of basic military 

18 training and education actually served by the person 

19 shall be counted toward the term of enlistment. 

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

21 a cadet or midshipman at the United States Military 

22 Academy, the United States Naval Academy, the 

23 United States Air Force Academy, the Coast Guard 

24 Academy, or the United States Merchant Marine 

25 Academy. 
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1 (3) The enrollment and service of the person in 

2 an officer candidate program, if the person has 

3 signed an agreement to accept a Reserve commission 

4 in the appropriate service with an obligation to serve 

5 on active duty if such a commission is offered upon 

6 completion of the program. 

7 (4) Such other grounds as the President may 

8 establish. 

9 SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION BY THE PRESIDENT. 

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

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

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

13 Such regulations shall include specification of the fol14 lowing: 

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

16 performed for a person’s national service obligation 

17 under this Act. 

18 (2) Standards for satisfactory performance of 

19 civilian service and of penalties for failure to per20 form civilian service satisfactorily. 

21 (3) The manner in which persons shall be se22 lected for induction under this Act, including the 

23 manner in which those selected will be notified of 

24 such selection. 
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1 (4) All other administrative matters in connec2 tion with the induction of persons under this Act 

3 and the registration, examination, and classification 

4 of such persons. 

5 (5) A means to determine questions or claims 

6 with respect to inclusion for, or exemption or 

7 deferment from induction under this Act, including 

8 questions of conscientious objection. 

9 (6) Standards for compensation and benefits 

10 for persons performing their national service obliga11 tion under this Act through civilian service. 

12 (7) Such other matters as the President deter13 mines necessary to carry out this Act. 

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

15 appropriate by the President, the President may use for 

16 purposes of this Act the procedures provided in the Mili17 tary Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 451 et seq.), 

18 including procedures for registration, selection, and induc19 tion. 

20 SEC. 5. INDUCTION. 

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

22 for national service under this Act, except those whose 

23 training is deferred or postponed in accordance with this 

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

25 service at the time and place specified by the President. 
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1 (b) AGE LIMITS.—A person may be inducted under 

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

3 has not attained the age of 42. 

4 (c) VOLUNTARY INDUCTION.—A person subject to in5 duction under this Act may volunteer for induction at a 

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

7 called for induction. 

8 (d) EXAMINATION; CLASSIFICATION.—Every person 

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

10 be physically and mentally examined and shall be classified 

11 as to fitness to perform national service. The President 

12 may apply different classification standards for fitness for 

13 military service and fitness for civilian service. 

14 SEC. 6. DEFERMENTS AND POSTPONEMENTS. 

15 (a) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.—A person who is pur16 suing a standard course of study, on a full-time basis, in 

17 a secondary school or similar institution of learning shall 

18 be entitled to have induction under this Act postponed 

19 until the person— 

20 (1) obtains a high school diploma; 

21 (2) ceases to pursue satisfactorily such course 

22 of study; or 

23 (3) attains the age of 20. 

24 (b) HARDSHIP AND DISABILITY.—Deferments from 

25 national service under this Act may be made for— 
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1 (1) extreme hardship; or 

2 (2) physical or mental disability. 

3 (c) TRAINING CAPACITY.—The President may post4 pone or suspend the induction of persons for military serv5 ice under this Act as necessary to limit the number of per6 sons receiving basic military training and education to the 

7 maximum number that can be adequately trained. 

8 (d) TERMINATION.—No deferment or postponement 

9 of induction under this Act shall continue after the cause 

10 of such deferment or postponement ceases. 

11 SEC. 7. INDUCTION EXEMPTIONS. 

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

13 for military service under this Act unless the person is 

14 acceptable to the Secretary concerned for training and 

15 meets the same health and physical qualifications applica16 ble under section 505 of title 10, United States Code, to 

17 persons seeking original enlistment in a regular compo18 nent of the Armed Forces. 

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

20 liable for induction under this Act who— 

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

22 least six months, in any component of the uniformed 

23 services on active duty; or 

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

25 United States Military Academy, the United States 
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1 Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Acad2 emy, the Coast Guard Academy, the United States 

3 Merchant Marine Academy, a midshipman of a Navy 

4 accredited State maritime academy, a member of the 

5 Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or the 

6 naval aviation college program, so long as that per7 son satisfactorily continues in and completes at least 

8 two years training therein. 

9 SEC. 8. CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION. 

10 (a) CLAIMS AS CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR.—Noth11 ing in this Act shall be construed to require a person to 

12 be subject to combatant training and service in the uni13 formed services, if that person, by reason of sincerely held 

14 moral, ethical, or religious beliefs, is conscientiously op15 posed to participation in war in any form. 

16 (b) ALTERNATIVE NONCOMBATANT OR CIVILIAN

17 SERVICE.—A person who claims exemption from combat18 ant training and service under subsection (a) and whose 

19 claim is sustained by the local board shall— 

20 (1) be assigned to noncombatant service (as de21 fined by the President), if the person is inducted 

22 into the uniformed services; or 

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

24 be conscientiously opposed to participation in such 

25 noncombatant service, to perform national civilian 
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1 service for the period specified in section 3(a) and 

2 subject to such regulations as the President may 

3 prescribe. 

4 SEC. 9. DISCHARGE FOLLOWING NATIONAL SERVICE. 

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

6 the obligation to perform national service under this Act, 

7 a person shall be discharged from the uniformed services 

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

9 be subject to any further service under this Act. 

10 (b) COORDINATION WITH OTHER AUTHORITIES.— 

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

12 active service in the uniformed services of any person who 

13 is a member of a regular or reserve component of the uni14 formed services. 

15 SEC. 10. REGISTRATION OF FEMALES UNDER THE MILI16 TARY SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT. 

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

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

19 amended— 

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

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

22 and 

23 (3) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the per24 son’’. 
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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 2006.’’. 

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 2006.’’. 

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 
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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. 

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