{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr4523-114/featured_to-repeal-the-military-selective-service-act-and-thereby-terminate-the-registration-requirements-of-such-act-an-1455662157.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr4523-114/featured_large_to-repeal-the-military-selective-service-act-and-thereby-terminate-the-registration-requirements-of-such-act-an-1455662157.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr4523-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2016-02-10","title_override":"Has the Selective Service System Outlived Its Usefulness?","summary_override":"

This bill would repeal the Military Selective Service Act and abolish the Selective Service draft.

Currently, American men (and male non-citizens living in the US) between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register with the Selective Service System. This provides the United States with a backup plan if the U.S. military were ever to experience a shortage of volunteer soldiers. If that happened, Congress could pass (and the President could sign) legislation to reinstate the draft, and young men would be selected at random to enter the armed forces.

This bill would abolish the Selective Service System and end the registration requirement. In addition, men who failed to register in the past could no longer be penalized with the loss of any “right, privilege, benefit, or employment position,” such as access to federal student loans.

The draft has not been used since 1973, during the Vietnam War. After Vietnam, registration was disbanded entirely until 1980, when President Jimmy Carter reintroduced the system in response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.

Registration has been a requirement for young men even since, although the draft has not been needed or used in the Gulf War, War in Afghanistan, or Iraq War.

This legislation would give the Selective Service System 180 days to shut down and turn over any “assets, contracts, property, and records” to the Administrator of General Services. Current employees would receive assistance transferring to other positions in the executive branch.","official_title":"To repeal the Military Selective Service Act, and thereby terminate the registration requirements of such Act and eliminate civilian local boards, civilian appeal boards, and similar local agencies of the Selective Service System.","short_title":null,"popular_title":null,"short_summary":"This bill repeals the Military Selective Service Act.\n\nNo person may 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 the Military Selective Service Act before its repeal by this bill.","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"The legislation states the Selective Service System currently costs $23 million a year. ","impact":"","argument_for":"No one should have to go to war against his will. The United States has produced a strong, all-volunteer military without using the draft since 1973. ","argument_against":"The draft is the United States' insurance policy against a major crisis. It would be dangerous to jeopardize our ability to defend ourselves.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr4523-114","bill_id":"hr4523-114","formal_id":"H.R. 4523","chamber":"house","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2016-03-04T00:00:00.000Z","active":false,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":null,"debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/4523","plain_text_url":"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hr4523ih/html/BILLS-114hr4523ih.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr4523-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/4523/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2016-02-10","related_bill_ids":["s3041-114"],"progress":"Introduced","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":173,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Armed Services","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSAS","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Military Personnel","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSAS02","subcommittee":true}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr4523-114","details":"/api/bills/hr4523-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr4523-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr4523-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr4523-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":7,"slug":"hr4523-114-to-repeal-the-military-selective-service-act-and-thereby-terminate-the-registration-requirements-of-such-act-and-eliminate-civilian-local-boards-civ","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":1577,"yea_vote_count":693,"nay_vote_count":883,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["defense","government"],"issue_ids":["defense","military","government","war"],"sponsor_id":462}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"defense","name":"Defense","slug":"defense","description":"Federal legislation related to Defense spending, the active duty military, intelligence activities, war powers and veterans’ care. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.","page_title":"US Armed forces and Defense related Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/black_defense-1429042040.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/grey_defense-1429042040.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/white_defense-1429042040.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"military","name":"Military","slug":"military","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Military . Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Military Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/military/black_military-1429042060.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/military/grey_military-1429042060.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/military/white_military-1429042060.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"government","name":"Government","slug":"government","description":"Federal legislation related to the operations of the US Federal Government. Bills can encompass government administration, regulation of political parties, the US postal service, US territories and public contracts.","page_title":"US Government - Federal legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/black_government-1453508811.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/grey_government-1453508811.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/white_government-1453508811.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"war","name":"War","slug":"war","description":"All is fair in love and war? Have your say in the latter. Tell your congressperson how you feel about current legislation related to war!","page_title":"War Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/war/black_war-1429042061.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/war/grey_war-1429042061.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/war/white_war-1429042061.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Cameron","vote_count":251,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/100000728090500/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/100000728090500/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/100000728090500/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/100000728090500/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/0Zn4ay9L/following","followers":"/api/users/0Zn4ay9L/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":"","youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":52,"is_following":null,"influence_score":0,"influence_level":0,"follower_count":0,"following_count":0,"position_count":23,"id":"0Zn4ay9L","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"7057b1e6-a2e2-4e12-9940-6aa4682166e5","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"If you're worried about being drafted for a war you can always petition Congress to stay out of that conflict thusly there be no need for a draft","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":0,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/7057b1e6-a2e2-4e12-9940-6aa4682166e5"},"body":"If you're worried about being drafted for a war you can always petition Congress to stay out of that conflict thusly there be no need for a draft","stance":"nay","created_at":"2016-05-04T02:39:03.340Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/7057b1e6-a2e2-4e12-9940-6aa4682166e5.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr4523-114","user_id":"0Zn4ay9L","endorser_ids":[]}}

Like Causes?

Cameron

Has the Selective Service System Outlived Its Usefulness?