[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1607 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1607

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

                             April 26, 2001

Mr. DeFazio (for himself, Mr. Stark, Ms. Baldwin, and Mr. George Miller 
of California) 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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Selective Service Standby Act of 
2001''.

SEC. 2. RESTRICTION OF REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT TO PERIODS OF NATIONAL 
              EMERGENCIES.

    (a) National Emergency Registration Requirement.--Section 3(a) of 
the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 453(a)) is amended 
by inserting after ``this title,'' the following: ``during any period 
in which a declaration of national emergency is in effect under 
subsection (c),''.
    (b) Procedure for Declaring National Emergencies.--Section 3 of 
such Act (50 U.S.C. App. 453) is further amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsections:
    ``(c) Declaration of National Emergency.--The President shall have 
the authority to declare a period of national emergency during which 
the registration requirements of subsection (a) shall apply. Subject to 
subsection (d), the President shall provide for the prompt termination 
of the declaration of national emergency upon the termination of the 
national emergency.
    ``(d) Duration of Declaration.--A declaration of national emergency 
under subsection (c) shall terminate upon the expiration of the first 
10-day period of continuous session of Congress after the date of the 
declaration unless Congress enacts a law before the end of that period 
ratifying that specific declaration. For purposes of this subsection, 
the continuity of a session of Congress is broken only by an 
adjournment of the Congress sine die, and the days on which either 
House is not in session because of an adjournment or recess of more 
than three days to a day certain are excluded in a computation of the 
10-day period.''.
    (c) Suspension of Sanctions for Persons Previously Subject to 
Registration.--Section 12 of such Act (50 U.S.C. App. 462) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(h) Additional Basis to Suspend Sanctions.--In addition to the 
exception provided by subsection (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 before the effective date of the Selective 
Service Standby Act of 2001.''.

SEC. 3. SUSPENSION OF ACTIVITIES OF SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM BOARDS.

    Section 17 of the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 
467) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Suspension of Activities of Selective Service System 
Boards.--Except during any period in which a declaration of national 
emergency is in effect under section 3--
            ``(1) the President may not appoint a person as a member of 
        a civilian local board, civilian appeal board, or similar local 
        agency of the Selective Service System; and
            ``(2) any such board established under section 10(b)(3) may 
        not meet.''.

SEC. 4. REPORT ON STANDBY REGISTRATION PROGRAM FOR USE DURING NATIONAL 
              EMERGENCIES.

    Not later than 150 days after the effective date of this Act, the 
Director of the Selective Service shall submit to Congress a report 
detailing a standby emergency manpower mobilization program to be used 
by the Selective Service System during periods in which a declaration 
of national emergency is in effect for the registration of persons who 
would be subject to registration under section 3 of the Military 
Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 453) during such a period. The 
report shall include an estimate of the cost to implement and operate 
the standby program and an evaluation of the feasibility of using 
existing and emerging information systems available to the Government 
to improve the effectiveness of any registration requirements.

SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON USE OF SAVINGS FROM SUSPENSION OF 
              REGISTRATION AND OTHER ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT VETERANS 
              HEALTH CARE.

    It is the sense of Congress that at least 50 percent of the 
difference between the amount appropriated to carry out the Military 
Selective Service Act for the fiscal year in effect as of the effective 
date of this Act and the amount appropriated for such purpose for each 
of the first four fiscal years beginning after the effective date of 
this Act should be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
support expanded health care services for veterans under title 38, 
United States Code.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect 30 
days after the date of the enactment of the Act.
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