I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1812

To amend the Military Selective Service Act to suspend the registration

requirement and the activities of civilian local boards, civilian appeal

boards, and similar local agencies of the Selective Service System, except

during national emergencies, and to require the Director of Selective

Service to prepare a report regarding the development of a viable standby

registration program for use only during national emergencies.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 13, 1999

Mr. PAUL (for himself, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. METCALF, Mr. CLAY, Mr.

DEFAZIO, and Mr. STARK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

A BILL

To amend the Military Selective Service Act to suspend the

registration requirement and the activities of civilian

local boards, civilian appeal boards, and similar local

agencies of the Selective Service System, except during

national emergencies, and to require the Director of Selective Service to prepare a report regarding the development of a viable standby registration program for use

only during national emergencies.

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

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Selective Service

3 Standby Act of 1999’’.

4 SEC. 2. RESTRICTION OF REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT TO

5 PERIODS OF NATIONAL EMERGENCIES.

6 (a) NATIONAL EMERGENCY REGISTRATION RE7 QUIREMENT.—Section 3(a) of the Military Selective Serv8 ice Act (50 U.S.C. App. 453(a)) is amended by inserting

9 after ‘‘this title,’’ the following: ‘‘during any period in

10 which a declaration of national emergency is in effect,’’.

11 (b) PROCEDURE FOR DECLARING NATIONAL EMER12 GENCIES.—Section 3 of such Act (50 U.S.C. App. 453)

13 is further amended by adding at the end the following new

14 subsections:

15 ‘‘(c) The President shall have the authority to declare

16 a period of national emergency during which the registra17 tion requirements of subsection (a) shall apply. Subject

18 to subsection (d), the President shall provide for the

19 prompt termination of the declaration of national emer20 gency upon the termination of the national emergency.

21 ‘‘(d) A declaration of national emergency under sub22 section (c) shall terminate upon the expiration of the first

23 10-day period of continuous session of Congress after the

24 date of the declaration unless Congress enacts a law before

25 the end of that period ratifying that specific declaration.

26 For purposes of this subsection, the continuity of a session
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1 of Congress is broken only by an adjournment of the Con2 gress sine die, and the days on which either House is not

3 in session because of an adjournment or recess of more

4 than three days to a day certain are excluded in a com5 putation of the 10-day period.’’.

6 (c) SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS FOR PERSONS PRE7 VIOUSLY SUBJECT TO REGISTRATION.—Section 12 of

8 such Act (50 U.S.C. App. 462) is amended by adding at

9 the end the following new subsection:

10 ‘‘(h) In addition to the exception provided by sub11 section (g), a person may not be denied a right, privilege,

12 benefit, or employment position under Federal law on the

13 grounds that the person failed to present himself for and

14 submit to registration under section 3 before the effective

15 date of the Selective Service Standby Act of 1999.’’.

16 SEC. 3. SUSPENSION OF ACTIVITIES OF SELECTIVE SERV17 ICE SYSTEM BOARDS.

18 Section 17 of the Military Selective Service Act (50

19 U.S.C. App. 467) is amended by adding at the end the

20 following new subsection:

21 ‘‘(d) Except during any period in which a declaration

22 of national emergency is in effect under section 3—

23 ‘‘(1) the President may not appoint a person as

24 a member of a civilian local board, civilian appeal
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1 board, or similar local agency of the Selective Serv2 ice System; and

3 ‘‘(2) any such board established under section

4 10(b)(3) may not meet.’’.

5 SEC. 4. REPORT ON STANDBY REGISTRATION PROGRAM

6 FOR USE DURING NATIONAL EMERGENCIES.

7 Not later than 150 days after the effective date of

8 this Act, the Director of the Selective Service shall submit

9 to Congress a report detailing a standby emergency man10 power mobilization program to be used by the Selective

11 Service System during periods in which a declaration of

12 national emergency is in effect for the registration of per13 sons who would be subject to registration under section

14 3 of the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App.

15 453) during such a period. The report shall include an

16 estimate of the cost to implement and operate the standby

17 program and an evaluation of the feasibility of using exist18 ing and emerging information systems available to the

19 Government to improve the effectiveness of any registra20 tion requirements.
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1 SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON USE OF SAVINGS FROM

2 SUSPENSION OF REGISTRATION AND OTHER

3 ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT VETERANS HEALTH

4 CARE.

5 It is the sense of Congress that at least 50 percent

6 of the difference between the amount appropriated to

7 carry out the Military Selective Service Act for fiscal year

8 1999 and the amount appropriated for such purpose for

9 each of the fiscal years 2000 through 2004 should be ap10 propriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to support

11 expanded health care services for veterans under title 38,

12 United States Code.

13 SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

14 This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall

15 take effect 30 days after the date of the enactment of the

16 Act.

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