I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 978 
To deauthorize the Military Selective Service Act, including the registration 
requirement and the activities of civilian local boards, civilian appeal 
boards, and similar local agencies of the Selective Service System, except 
during a national emergency declared by the President, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 6, 2013 
Mr. COFFMAN (for himself, Mr. DEFAZIO, and Mrs. ROBY) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To deauthorize the Military Selective Service Act, including 
the registration requirement and the activities of civilian 
local boards, civilian appeal boards, and similar local 
agencies of the Selective Service System, except during 
a national emergency declared by the President, 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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Emergency 
Selective Service Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Congress has not given serious consider-
ation to conscription since establishing the current 
Selective Service System in 1979. 
(2) The Department of Defense has neither 
plans nor the capabilities to deal with conscription, 
were conscription under the Military Selective Serv-
ice Act ever reimposed. 
(3) The amendments made by this section 
would allow approximately 175 Reserve officers to 
return to more important duties. 
(4) The estimated savings of $24.2 million an-
nually from the amendments made by this Act would 
be better used to reduce the Federal budget deficit. 
SEC. 3. DEAUTHORIZATION OF MILITARY SELECTIVE SERV-
ICE ACT EXCEPT DURING NATIONAL EMER-
GENCIES. 
(a) RESTRICTION OF REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT 
TO NATIONAL EMERGENCY.—Section 3 of the Military Se-
lective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 453) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Except as 
otherwise provided in this title,’’ and inserting ‘‘Dur-
ing any period in which a declaration of national 
emergency is in effect under subsection (c),’’; and 
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(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
sections: 
‘‘(c) DECLARATION
OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY.— 
The President shall have the authority to declare, by Exec-
utive order, a period of national emergency during which 
the registration requirements of subsection (a) shall apply. 
The President shall provide for the prompt termination 
of the declaration of national emergency upon the termi-
nation of the national emergency. 
‘‘(d) DEAUTHORIZATION
OF
REGISTRATION
RE-
QUIREMENT.—Unless a declaration of national emergency 
is in effect pursuant to subsection (c), on and after the 
date of the enactment of the National Emergency Selective 
Service Act, no person shall be registered for possible in-
duction for training and service in the Armed Forces, in-
cluding persons who were subject to such registration re-
quirements before that date but who had not complied 
with such registration requirements by that date.’’. 
(b) SUSPENSION
OF
LOCAL
BOARDS, APPEAL 
BOARDS, AND
OTHER
SELECTIVE
SERVICE
SYSTEM 
AGENCIES; SAFEGUARDING DATA.—Section 10 of the 
Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 460) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 
following new sentence: ‘‘Whenever operations of the 
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Selective Service System are suspended under sub-
section (i), the Secretary of Defense shall assume re-
sponsibility for security of Selective Service System 
data bases.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(i) Unless a declaration of national emergency is in 
effect pursuant to section 3(c), the President may not ap-
point a person as a member of a civilian local board, civil-
ian appeal board, or similar local agency of the Selective 
Service System, and any such board established under 
subsection (b)(3) may not meet.’’. 
(c) SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS FOR PERSONS SUB-
JECT TO REGISTRATION.—Section 12 of the Military Se-
lective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 462) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(h) In addition to the exception provided by sub-
section (g), a person may not be denied a right, privilege, 
benefit, or employment position under Federal law on the 
grounds that the person failed to present himself for and 
submit to registration under section 3 unless a declaration 
of national emergency is in effect pursuant to subsection 
(c) of such section.’’. 
(d) RESTRICTION ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO-
PRIATIONS.—Section 17(b) of the Military Selective Serv-
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