I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 748 

To require all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 

25 to perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed 

services or as civilian service in a Federal, State, or local government 

program or with a community-based agency or community-based entity, 

to authorize the induction of persons in the uniformed services during 

wartime to meet end-strength requirements of the uniformed services, 

to provide for the registration of women under the Military Selective 

Service Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 15, 2013 

Mr. RANGEL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To require all persons in the United States between the 

ages of 18 and 25 to perform national service, either 

as a member of the uniformed services or as civilian 

service in a Federal, State, or local government program 

or with a community-based agency or community-based 

entity, to authorize the induction of persons in the uniformed services during wartime to meet end-strength requirements of the uniformed services, to provide for the 

registration of women under the Military Selective Service Act, and for other purposes. 


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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’’. 

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

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—NATIONAL SERVICE 

Sec. 101. Definitions. 

Sec. 102. National service obligation. 

Sec. 103. Induction to perform national service. 

Sec. 104. Two-year period of national service. 

Sec. 105. Implementation by the President. 

Sec. 106. Examination and classification of persons. 

Sec. 107. Deferments and postponements. 

Sec. 108. Induction exemptions. 

Sec. 109. Conscientious objection. 

Sec. 110. Discharge following national service. 

TITLE II—AMENDMENTS TO MILITARY SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT 

Sec. 201. Registration of females. 

Sec. 202. Registration and induction authority. 

8 TITLE I—NATIONAL SERVICE 

9 SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this title: 

11 (1) The terms ‘‘community-based agency’’ and 

12 ‘‘community-based entity’’ have the meanings given 

13 those terms in section 101 of the National and Com14 munity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511). 

15 (2) The term ‘‘contingency operation’’ has the 

16 meaning given that term in section 101(a)(13) of 

17 title 10, United States Code. 


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

2 performed as a member of an active or reserve com3 ponent of the uniformed services. 

4 (4) The term ‘‘national service’’ means— 

5 (A) military service; or 

6 (B) civilian service in a Federal, State, or 

7 local government program or with a commu8 nity-based agency or community-based entity 

9 that, as determined by the President, is en10 gaged in meeting human, educational, environ11 mental, or public safety needs. 

12 (5) The term ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ means— 

13 (A) the Secretary of Defense with respect 

14 to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine 

15 Corps; 

16 (B) the Secretary of Homeland Security 

17 with respect to the Coast Guard; 

18 (C) the Secretary of Commerce with re19 spect to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

20 Administration; and 

21 (D) the Secretary of Health and Human 

22 Services with respect to the Public Health Serv23 ice. 

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

25 geographical sense, means the several States, the 


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1 District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Is2 lands, and Guam. 

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

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

5 commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and At6 mospheric Administration, and commissioned corps 

7 of the Public Health Service. 

8 SEC. 102. NATIONAL SERVICE OBLIGATION. 

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

10 of every citizen of the United States, and every other per11 son residing in the United States, who is between the ages 

12 of 18 and 25 to perform a period of national service as 

13 prescribed in this title unless exempted under the provi14 sions of this title. 

15 (b) FORMS OF NATIONAL SERVICE.—The national 

16 service obligation under this title shall be performed either 

17 through— 

18 (1) military service; or 

19 (2) civilian service in a Federal, State, or local 

20 government program or with a community-based 

21 agency or community-based entity that, as deter22 mined by the President, is engaged in meeting 

23 human, educational, environmental, or public safety 

24 needs. 


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1 (c) AGE LIMITS.—A person may be inducted under 

2 this title only if the person has attained the age of 18 

3 and has not attained the age of 25. 

4 SEC. 103. INDUCTION TO PERFORM NATIONAL SERVICE. 

5 (a) INDUCTION REQUIREMENTS.—The President 

6 shall provide for the induction of persons described in sec7 tion 102(a) to perform their national service obligation. 

8 (b) LIMITATION ON INDUCTION FOR MILITARY SERV9 ICE.—Persons described in section 102(a) may be in10 ducted to perform military service only if— 

11 (1) a declaration of war is in effect; 

12 (2) the President declares a national emer13 gency, which the President determines necessitates 

14 the induction of persons to perform military service, 

15 and immediately informs Congress of the reasons for 

16 the declaration and the need to induct persons for 

17 military service; or 

18 (3) members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or 

19 Marine Corps are engaged in a contingency oper20 ation pursuant to a congressional authorization for 

21 the use of military force. 

22 (c) LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF PERSONS INDUCTED

23 FOR MILITARY SERVICE.—When the induction of persons 

24 for military service is authorized by subsection (b), the 

25 President shall determine the number of persons described 


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1 in section 102(a) whose national service obligation is to 

2 be satisfied through military service based on— 

3 (1) the authorized end strengths of the uni4 formed services; and 

5 (2) the feasibility of the uniformed services to 

6 recruit sufficient volunteers to achieve such end7 strength levels. 

8 (d) SELECTION FOR INDUCTION.— 

9 (1) RANDOM SELECTION FOR MILITARY SERV10 ICE.—When the induction of persons for military 

11 service is authorized by subsection (b), the President 

12 shall utilize a mechanism for the random selection of 

13 persons to be inducted to perform military service. 

14 (2) RANDOM SELECTION FOR CIVILIAN SERV15 ICE.—Persons described in section 102(a) who do 

16 not volunteer to perform military service or are not 

17 inducted for military service shall perform their na18 tional service obligation in a civilian capacity pursu19 ant to section 102(b)(2). 

20 (e) VOLUNTARY SERVICE.—A person subject to in21 duction under this title may— 

22 (1) volunteer to perform national service in lieu 

23 of being inducted; or 


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1 (2) request permission to be inducted at a time 

2 other than the time at which the person is otherwise 

3 called for induction. 

4 SEC. 104. TWO-YEAR PERIOD OF NATIONAL SERVICE. 

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

6 in this section, the period of national service performed 

7 by a person under this title shall be two years. 

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

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

10 of the uniformed services under this title may be ex11 tended— 

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

13 purpose of furnishing hospitalization, medical, or 

14 surgical care for injury or illness incurred in line of 

15 duty; or 

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

17 compensate for any time lost to training for any 

18 cause. 

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

20 service for a person under this title shall be terminated 

21 before the end of such period under the following cir22 cumstances: 

23 (1) The voluntary enlistment and active service 

24 of the person in an active or reserve component of 

25 the uniformed services for a period of at least two 


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1 years, in which case the period of basic military 

2 training and education actually served by the person 

3 shall be counted toward the term of enlistment. 

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

5 a cadet or midshipman at the United States Military 

6 Academy, the United States Naval Academy, the 

7 United States Air Force Academy, the Coast Guard 

8 Academy, or the United States Merchant Marine 

9 Academy. 

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

11 an officer candidate program, if the person has 

12 signed an agreement to accept a Reserve commission 

13 in the appropriate service with an obligation to serve 

14 on active duty if such a commission is offered upon 

15 completion of the program. 

16 (4) Such other grounds as the President may 

17 establish. 

18 SEC. 105. IMPLEMENTATION BY THE PRESIDENT. 

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

20 such regulations as are necessary to carry out this title. 

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

22 Such regulations shall include specification of the fol23 lowing: 


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

2 performed in order for a person to satisfy the per3 son’s national service obligation under this title. 

4 (2) The types of Federal, State, and local gov5 ernment programs and programs carried out by a 

6 community-based agency or community-based entity 

7 that may be used for the performance of national 

8 service. 

9 (3) Standards for satisfactory performance of 

10 civilian service and of penalties for failure to per11 form civilian service satisfactorily. 

12 (4) The manner in which persons shall be se13 lected for induction under this title, including the 

14 manner in which those selected will be notified of 

15 such selection. 

16 (5) All other administrative matters in connec17 tion with the induction of persons under this title 

18 and the registration, examination, and classification 

19 of such persons. 

20 (6) A means to determine questions or claims 

21 with respect to inclusion for, or exemption or 

22 deferment from induction under this title, including 

23 questions of conscientious objection. 


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1 (7) Standards for compensation and benefits 

2 for persons performing their national service obliga3 tion under this title through civilian service. 

4 (8) Such other matters as the President deter5 mines necessary to carry out this title. 

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

7 appropriate by the President, the President may use for 

8 purposes of this title the procedures provided in the Mili9 tary Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 451 et seq.), 

10 including procedures for registration, selection, and induc11 tion. 

12 SEC. 106. EXAMINATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF PER13 SONS. 

14 (a) EXAMINATION.—Every person subject to induc15 tion under this title shall, before induction, be physically 

16 and mentally examined and shall be classified as to fitness 

17 to perform national service. 

18 (b) DIFFERENT CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS.—The 

19 President may apply different classification standards for 

20 fitness for military service and fitness for civilian service. 

21 SEC. 107. DEFERMENTS AND POSTPONEMENTS. 

22 (a) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.—A person who is pur23 suing a standard course of study, on a full-time basis, in 

24 a secondary school or similar institution of learning shall 


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1 be entitled to have induction under this title postponed 

2 until the person— 

3 (1) obtains a high school diploma; 

4 (2) ceases to pursue satisfactorily such course 

5 of study; or 

6 (3) attains the age of 20. 

7 (b) POST SECONDARY STUDENTS.—A person who is 

8 pursuing a standard course of study, on a full-time basis, 

9 in a university, technical school or similar institution of 

10 learning shall be entitled to have induction under this title 

11 postponed until the person— 

12 (1) obtains a certificate or diploma; 

13 (2) ceases to pursue satisfactorily such course 

14 of study; or 

15 (3) attains the age of 24. 

16 (c) HARDSHIP AND DISABILITY.—Deferments from 

17 national service under this title may be made for— 

18 (1) extreme hardship; or 

19 (2) physical or mental disability. 

20 (d) TRAINING CAPACITY.—The President may post21 pone or suspend the induction of persons for military serv22 ice under this title as necessary to limit the number of 

23 persons receiving basic military training and education to 

24 the maximum number that can be adequately trained. 


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1 (e) TERMINATION.—No deferment or postponement 

2 of induction under this title shall continue after the cause 

3 of such deferment or postponement ceases. 

4 SEC. 108. INDUCTION EXEMPTIONS. 

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

6 for military service under this title unless the person is 

7 acceptable to the Secretary concerned for training and 

8 meets the same health and physical qualifications applica9 ble under section 505 of title 10, United States Code, to 

10 persons seeking original enlistment in a regular compo11 nent of the Armed Forces. 

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

13 liable for induction under this title who— 

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

15 least six months, in any component of the uniformed 

16 services on active duty; or 

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

18 United States Military Academy, the United States 

19 Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Acad20 emy, the Coast Guard Academy, the United States 

21 Merchant Marine Academy, a midshipman of a Navy 

22 accredited State maritime academy, a member of the 

23 Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or the 

24 naval aviation college program, so long as that perVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:44 Feb 27, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H748.IH H748

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1 son satisfactorily continues in and completes at least 

2 two years training therein. 

3 SEC. 109. CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION. 

4 (a) CLAIMS AS CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR.—Noth5 ing in this title shall be construed to require a person to 

6 be subject to combatant training and service in the uni7 formed services, if that person, by reason of sincerely held 

8 moral, ethical, or religious beliefs, is conscientiously op9 posed to participation in war in any form. 

10 (b) ALTERNATIVE NONCOMBATANT OR CIVILIAN

11 SERVICE.—A person who claims exemption from combat12 ant training and service under subsection (a) and whose 

13 claim is sustained by the local board shall— 

14 (1) be assigned to noncombatant service (as de15 fined by the President), if the person is inducted 

16 into the uniformed services; or 

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

18 be conscientiously opposed to participation in such 

19 noncombatant service, to perform civilian service for 

20 the period specified in section 104(a) and subject to 

21 such regulations as the President may prescribe. 

22 SEC. 110. DISCHARGE FOLLOWING NATIONAL SERVICE. 

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

24 the obligation to perform national service under this title, 

25 a person shall be discharged from the uniformed services 


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

2 be subject to any further service under this title. 

3 (b) COORDINATION WITH OTHER AUTHORITIES.— 

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

5 active service in the uniformed services of any person who 

6 is a member of a regular or reserve component of the uni7 formed services. 

8 TITLE II—AMENDMENTS TO 

9 MILITARY SELECTIVE SERV10 ICE ACT 

11 SEC. 201. REGISTRATION OF FEMALES. 

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

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

14 amended— 

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

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

17 and 

18 (3) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the per19 son’’. 

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

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

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


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1 SEC. 202. REGISTRATION AND INDUCTION AUTHORITY. 

2 (a) REGISTRATION.—Section 4 of the Military Selec3 tive Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 454) is amended by in4 serting after subsection (g) the following new subsection: 

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

6 induction of persons into the Armed Forces pursuant to 

7 the Universal National Service Act.’’. 

8 (b) INDUCTION.—Section 17(c) of the Military Selec9 tive Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 467(c)) is amended by 

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

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

12 to the Universal National Service Act.’’. 

Æ 


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