HR 1812 IH

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.

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

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 1999'.

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,'.

(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) 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) 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) 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 1999.'.

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) 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 fiscal year 1999 and the amount appropriated for such purpose for each of the fiscal years 2000 through 2004 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.

END