I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3503
To establish a national Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve program, a national 
volunteer service corps ready for service in response to domestic or 
international emergencies. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 17, 2003
Mr. RANGEL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To establish a national Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve 
program, a national volunteer service corps ready for 
service in response to domestic or international emer-
gencies.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Civilian Volunteer 
Service Reserve Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following:
(1) The changing threats and issues that face 
the Nation require a new and innovative approach to 
mobilizing the citizenry in times of need. 
(2) The Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve pro-
gram offers a flexible approach to the needs of spe-
cific crises, such as natural disasters, incidents of 
terrorism, or other emergencies at home or abroad. 
(3) Citizenship entails responsibilities as well as 
rights. The Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve pro-
gram will challenge all Americans to sacrifice for 
their country. 
(4) The Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve pro-
gram will make it possible to draw on the vast array 
of skills and the ingenuity of ordinary Americans in 
times of need. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT. 
The Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish 
the Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve (referred to in this 
Act as the ‘‘Civilian Reserve’’), a national volunteer serv-
ice corps ready for service in response to domestic or inter-
national emergencies, or other circumstances determined 
by the President pursuant to section 6. 
SEC. 4. GENERAL AUTHORITY. 
The Secretary of Homeland Security shall appoint a 
Director and such other officers as the Secretary considers
appropriate to organize and administer the Civilian Re-
serve program consistent with the provisions of this Act. 
The Secretary is authorized to promulgate regulations 
necessary to carry out this Act. 
SEC. 5. ELIGIBILITY, COMMITMENT, AND REGISTRATION. 
(a) ELIGIBILITY.—All citizens and legal residents of 
the United States over the age of 18 shall be eligible to 
serve in the Civilian Reserve. 
(b) COMMITMENT.—Individuals who volunteer with 
the Civilian Reserve shall be enrolled for a 5-year period, 
and shall be expected during such period to serve in full-
time active duty status for a total period of 6 months, 
when called to such service under section 6. There shall 
be no limit to the number of 5-year periods of service that 
an individual may register to serve. 
(c) REGISTRATION.—Registration for the Civilian Re-
serve shall be administered in a manner determined by 
the Secretary of Homeland Security. At minimum, such 
registration shall include—
(1) the applicant’s name, address, telephone 
number, Social Security number, and E-mail ad-
dress; 
(2) the applicant’s occupation, areas of study, 
and skills; and
(3) the applicant’s preference for local, na-
tional, or international service. 
SEC. 6. MOBILIZATION. 
(a) MOBILIZATION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall have the 
authority to issue a voluntary call to action by 
issuing an executive order to mobilize certain mem-
bers of the Civilian Reserve to full-time active duty 
status for a period not exceeding 6 months, in order 
to meet the pressing needs of the Nation in times 
of emergency, as determined by the President in 
consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity. 
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting members of 
the Civilian Reserve to call to action pursuant to 
paragraph (1), the President shall consider the rel-
evant skills required by the emergency, the geo-
graphic location of the volunteers, and the logistics 
of such a mobilization. 
(3) METHODOLOGY OF CALL TO ACTION.—To 
the extent practicable, for a voluntary call to action 
issued under paragraph (1), members of the Civilian 
Reserve shall be contacted via telephone, E-mail, 
and mail service.
(b) VOLUNTARY ACCEPTANCE
OF CALL
TO AC-
TION.—Members of the Civilian Reserve may choose to ac-
cept a call to action issued pursuant to subsection (a)(1) 
and enter full-time active duty status for the period speci-
fied in such call to action, not exceeding 6 months. Mem-
bers of the Civilian Reserve may also decline such a call 
to action, so long as such members remain committed to 
serving in full-time active duty status for some period or 
periods, not to exceed a total of 6 months, during their 
5-year enrollment. 
(c) MANDATORY
SERVICE.—The President may, 
under extreme circumstances, issue a mandatory mobiliza-
tion of members of the Civilian Reserve, requiring such 
members to begin full-time active duty service for a period 
not exceeding 6 months. Such mobilization may apply to 
any members of the Civilian Reserve notwithstanding 
whether such members have fulfilled their expected 6-
month period of service described in section 5(b) prior to 
such mandatory mobilization. Exemptions from such man-
datory service shall be made for hardship due to family 
or other circumstances, upon appeal by an individual 
member of the Civilian Reserve. 
SEC. 7. FULL-TIME ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE AND BENEFITS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Members of the Civilian Reserve 
serving in full-time active duty status shall work side-by-
side with officers and agencies of the Federal, State, and 
local governments, non-profit and non-governmental orga-
nizations, supplementing but not supplanting existing sys-
tems for responding to emergencies and other pressing 
needs. 
(b) TRANSPORTATION AND ACCOMMODATIONS.—The 
Civilian Reserve program shall provide members serving 
in full-time active duty status with any necessary trans-
portation and accommodations in order to facilitate such 
service. 
(c) STIPEND.—Members of the Civilian Reserve serv-
ing in full-time active duty status shall receive a stipend 
in order to pay for necessary cost of living expenses, for 
such period of full-time active duty status. The amount 
of the stipend shall be determined by the Secretary of 
Homeland Security. 
(d) HEALTH INSURANCE.—Members of the Civilian 
Reserve serving in full-time active duty status shall be eli-
gible for health insurance under a program to be estab-
lished, by regulation, by the Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity. 
(e) REEMPLOYMENT PROTECTION.—The Secretary 
of Homeland Security shall promulgate regulations to pro-
vide reemployment protection and other benefits for mem-