I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 163
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 
JANUARY 7, 2003
Mr. RANGEL (for himself, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. LEWIS of 
Georgia, Mr. STARK, and Mr. ABERCROMBIE) 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 home-
land security, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Universal National Service Act of 2003’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
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 Se-
lective Service Act. 
Sec. 12. Definitions.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL SERVICE OBLIGATION. 
(a) OBLIGATION FOR YOUNG PERSONS.—It is the ob-
ligation of every citizen of the United States, and every 
other person residing in the United States, who is between 
the ages of 18 and 26 to perform a period of national 
service as prescribed in this Act unless exempted under 
the provisions of this Act. 
(b) FORM OF NATIONAL SERVICE.—National service 
under this Act shall be performed either—
(1) as a member of an active or reverse compo-
nent of the uniformed services; or 
(2) in a civilian capacity that, as determined by 
the President, promotes the national defense, includ-
ing national or community service and homeland se-
curity. 
(c) INDUCTION
REQUIREMENTS.—The President 
shall provide for the induction of persons covered by sub-
section (a) to perform national service under this Act.
(d) SELECTION
FOR MILITARY SERVICE.—Based 
upon the needs of the uniformed services, the President 
shall—
(1) determine the number of persons covered by 
subsection (a) whose service is to be performed as a 
member of an active or reverse component of the 
uniformed services; and 
(2) select the individuals among those persons 
who are to be inducted for military service under 
this Act. 
(e) CIVILIAN SERVICE.—Persons covered by sub-
section (a) who are not selected for military service under 
subsection (d) shall perform their national service obliga-
tion under this Act in a civilian capacity pursuant to sub-
section (b)(2). 
SEC. 3. TWO-YEAR PERIOD OF NATIONAL SERVICE. 
(a) GENERAL RULE.—Except as otherwise provided 
in this section, the period of national service performed 
by a person under this Act shall be two years. 
(b) GROUNDS FOR EXTENSION.—At the discretion of 
the President, the period of military service for a member 
of the uniformed services under this Act may be ex-
tended—
(1) with the consent of the member, for the 
purpose of furnishing hospitalization, medical, or
surgical care for injury or illness incurred in line of 
duty; or 
(2) for the purpose of requiring the member to 
compensate for any time lost to training for any 
cause. 
(c) EARLY TERMINATION.—The period of national 
service for a person under this Act shall be terminated 
before the end of such period under the following cir-
cumstances: 
(1) The voluntary enlistment and active service 
of the person in an active or reverse component of 
the uniformed services for a period of at least two 
years, in which case the period of basic military 
training and education actually served by the person 
shall be counted toward the term of enlistment. 
(2) The admission and service of the person as 
a cadet or midshipman at the United States Military 
Academy, the United States Naval Academy, the 
United States Air Force Academy, the Coast Guard 
Academy, or the United States Merchant Marine 
Academy. 
(3) The enrollment and service of the person in 
an officer candidate program, if the person has 
signed an agreement to accept a Reserve commission 
in the appropriate service with an obligation to serve
on active duty if such a commission is offered upon 
completion of the program. 
(4) Such other grounds as the President may 
establish. 
SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION BY THE PRESIDENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall prescribe 
such regulations as are necessary to carry out this Act. 
(b) MATTER TO BE COVERED BY REGULATIONS.—
Such regulations shall include specification of the fol-
lowing: 
(1) The types of civilian service that may be 
performed for a person’s national service obligation 
under this Act. 
(2) Standards for satisfactory performance of 
civilian service and of penalties for failure to per-
form civilian service satisfactorily. 
(3) The manner in which persons shall be se-
lected for induction under this Act, including the 
manner in which those selected will be notified of 
such selection. 
(4) All other administrative matters in connec-
tion with the induction of persons under this Act 
and the registration, examination, and classification 
of such persons.
(5) A means to determine questions or claims 
with respect to inclusion for, or exemption or 
deferment from induction under this Act, including 
questions of conscientious objection. 
(6) Standards for compensation and benefits 
for persons performing their national service obliga-
tion under this Act through civilian service. 
(7) Such other matters as the President deter-
mines necessary to carry out this Act. 
(c) USE OF PRIOR ACT.—To the extent determined 
appropriate by the President, the President may use for 
purposes of this Act the procedures provided in the Mili-
tary Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 451 et seq.), 
including procedures for registration, selection, and induc-
tion. 
SEC. 5. INDUCTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Every person subject to induction 
for national service under this Act, except those whose 
training is deferred or postponed in accordance with this 
Act, shall be called and inducted by the President for such 
service at the time and place specified by the President. 
(b) AGE LIMITS.—A person may be inducted under 
this Act only if the person has attained the age of 18 and 
has not attained the age of 26.
(c) VOLUNTARY INDUCTION.—A person subject to in-
duction under this Act may volunteer for induction at a 
time other than the time at which the person is otherwise 
called for induction. 
(d) EXAMINATION; CLASSIFICATION.—Every person 
subject to induction under this Act shall, before induction, 
be physically and mentally examined and shall be classified 
as to fitness to perform national service. The President 
may apply different classification standards for fitness for 
military service and fitness for civilian service. 
SEC. 6. DEFERMENTS AND POSTPONEMENTS. 
(a) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.—A person who is pur-
suing a standard course of study, on a full-time basis, in 
a secondary school or similar institution of learning shall 
be entitled to have induction under this Act postponed 
until the person—
(1) obtains a high school diploma; 
(2) ceases to pursue satisfactorily such course 
of study; or 
(3) attains the age of 20. 
(b) HARDSHIP AND DISABILITY.—Deferments from 
national service under this Act may be made for—
(1) extreme hardship; or 
(2) physical or mental disability.
(c) TRAINING CAPACITY.—The President may post-
pone or suspend the induction of persons for military serv-
ice under this Act as necessary to limit the number of per-
sons receiving basic military training and education to the 
maximum number that can be adequately trained. 
(d) TERMINATION.—No deferment or postponement 
of induction under this Act shall continue after the cause 
of such deferment or postponement ceases. 
SEC. 7. INDUCTION EXEMPTIONS. 
(a) QUALIFICATIONS.— No person may be inducted 
for military service under this Act unless the person is 
acceptable to the Secretary concerned for training and 
meets the same health and physical qualifications applica-
ble under section 505 of title 10, United States Code, to 
persons seeking original enlistment in a regular compo-
nent of the Armed Forces. 
(b) OTHER MILITARY SERVICE.—No person shall be 
liable for induction under this Act who—
(1) is serving, or has served honorably for at 
least six months, in any component of the uniformed 
services on active duty; or 
(2) is or becomes a cadet or midshipman at the 
United States Military Academy, the United States 
Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Acad-
emy, the Coast Guard Academy, the United States
Merchant Marine Academy, a midshipman of a Navy 
accredited State maritime academy, a member of the 
Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or the 
naval aviation college program, so long as that per-
son satisfactorily continues in and completes two 
years training therein. 
SEC. 8. CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION. 
(a) CLAIMS
AS CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR.—Any 
person selected under this Act for induction into the uni-
formed services who claims, because of religious training 
and belief (as defined in section 6(j) of the Military Selec-
tive Service Act (50 U.S.C. 456(j))), exemption from com-
batant training included as part of that military service 
and whose claim is sustained under such procedures as 
the President may prescribe, shall, when inducted, partici-
pate in military service that does not include any combat-
ant training component. 
(b) TRANSFER
TO CIVILIAN SERVICE.—Any such 
person whose claim is sustained may, at the discretion of 
the President, be transferred to a national service program 
for performance of such person’s national service obliga-
tion under this Act. 
SEC. 9. DISCHARGE FOLLOWING NATIONAL SERVICE. 
(a) DISCHARGE.—Upon completion or termination of 
the obligation to perform national service under this Act,
a person shall be discharged from the uniformed services 
or from civilian service, as the case may be, and shall not 
be subject to any further service under this Act. 
(b) COORDINATION WITH OTHER AUTHORITIES.—
Nothing in this section shall limit or prohibit the call to 
active service in the uniformed services of any person who 
is a member of a regular or reserve component of the uni-
formed services. 
SEC. 10. REGISTRATION OF FEMALES UNDER THE MILI-
TARY SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT. 
(a) REGISTRATION REQUIRED.—Section 3(a) of the 
Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. 453(a)) is 
amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘male’’ both places it appears; 
(2) by inserting ‘‘or herself’’ after ‘‘himself’’; 
and 
(3) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the per-
son’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 16(a) of 
the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 466(a)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘men’’ and inserting ‘‘persons’’.
SEC. 11. RELATION OF ACT TO REGISTRATION AND INDUC-
TION AUTHORITY OF MILITARY SELECTIVE 
SERVICE ACT. 
(a) REGISTRATION.—Section 4 of the Military Selec-
tive Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 454) is amended by in-
serting after subsection (g) the following new subsection: 
‘‘(h) This section does not apply with respect to the 
induction of persons into the Armed Forces pursuant to 
the Universal National Service Act of 2003.’’. 
(b) INDUCTION.—Section 17(c) of the Military Selec-
tive Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 467(c)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘now or hereafter’’ and all that follows through 
the period at the end and inserting ‘‘inducted pursuant 
to the Universal National Service Act of 2003.’’.
SEC. 12. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘military service’’ means service 
performed as a member of an active or reverse com-
ponent of the uniformed services. 
(2) The term ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ means the 
Secretary of Defense with respect to the Army, 
Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, the Secretary 
of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast 
Guard, the Secretary of Commerce, with respect to 
matters concerning the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration, and the Secretary of
Health and Human Services, with respect to matters 
concerning the Public Health Service. 
(3) The term ‘‘United States’’, when used in a 
geographical sense, means the several States, the 
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Is-
lands, and Guam. 
(4) The term ‘‘uniformed services’’ means the 
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, 
commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration, and commissioned corps 
of the Public Health Service.
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