SPECIAL ALERT:

Legislation Introduced to Eliminate Draft Registration and Selective Service

Contact members of Congress now

Efforts are underway to either pare down or totally disband the Selective Service System, the agency that collects the names and addresses of 18-year-old males for a possible future draft.

One opportunity to achieve this goal will occur when a vote on Selective Service’s budget comes up in the House of Representatives in late July. It was during the same process two years ago that the House voted to eliminate all funds for the agency except those needed to shut it down. Funding was restored when the Senate failed to follow suit, but it is hoped that both the House and Senate will agree on termination of Selective Service funds this year.

A parallel approach to the issue was initiated with the introduction of two bills on April 26 in the House of Representatives. The Selective Service Standby Act of 2001 (HR 1607), introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), calls for a halt to draft registration and would place Selective Service in an inactive standby status. HR 1597, introduced by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), would repeal the Military Selective Service Act and completely terminate the Selective Service System.

Both bills have been referred to the House Armed Services Committee. DeFazio's bill has five co-sponsors: Representatives Nadler, (Barbara) Lee, Miller, Baldwin and Stark. Co-sponsors of Paul’s bill include Representatives Baldwin, Stark, Conyers, Doolittle, Foley, Frank, LaTourette, McKinney, Mink, Rohrabacher, Sabo, Sanders and Sessions. Many more co-sponsors are needed before the bills would be taken up in the committee, but the proposals can also help galvanize support for cutting Selective Service funds during the summer budget debate.

ACTION NEEDED: Contact your local member of the House of Representatives and urge her/him to vote this summer to eliminate the Selective Service budget. Also ask her/him to co-sponsor HR 1607 and HR 1597. General mailing address: Rep. ____, House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. Also, urge your two Senators to support any efforts to do the same in the Senate: Senator ____, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510.

Please send copies of the letters you write to the Center on Conscience and War, 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009 http://www.nisbco.org/. CCW is coordinating lobbying on the issue. CCW also has an "Ending Draft Registration Packet" that includes some key arguments that can be made for ending draft registration and Selective Service.

One opportunity to achieve this goal will occur when a vote on Selective Service’s budget comes up in the House of Representatives in late July. It was during the same process two years ago that the House voted to eliminate all funds for the agency except those needed to shut it down. Funding was restored when the Senate failed to follow suit, but it is hoped that both the House and Senate will agree on termination of Selective Service funds this year.

A parallel approach to the issue was initiated with the introduction of two bills on April 26 in the House of Representatives. The Selective Service Standby Act of 2001 (HR 1607), introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), calls for a halt to draft registration and would place Selective Service in an inactive standby status. HR 1597, introduced by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), would repeal the Military Selective Service Act and completely terminate the Selective Service System.

Both bills have been referred to the House Armed Services Committee. DeFazio's bill has five co-sponsors: Representatives Nadler, (Barbara) Lee, Miller, Baldwin and Stark. Co-sponsors of Paul’s bill include Representatives Baldwin, Stark, Conyers, Doolittle, Foley, Frank, LaTourette, McKinney, Mink, Rohrabacher, Sabo, Sanders and Sessions. Many more co-sponsors are needed before the bills would be taken up in the committee, but the proposals can also help galvanize support for cutting Selective Service funds during the summer budget debate.

ACTION NEEDED: Contact your local member of the House of Representatives and urge her/him to vote this summer to eliminate the Selective Service budget. Also ask her/him to co-sponsor HR 1607 and HR 1597. General mailing address: Rep. ____, House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. Also, urge your two Senators to support any efforts to do the same in the Senate: Senator ____, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510.

Please send copies of the letters you write to the Center on Conscience and War, 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009 http://www.nisbco.org/. CCW is coordinating lobbying on the issue. CCW also has an "Ending Draft Registration Packet" that includes some key arguments that can be made for ending draft registration and Selective Service.

One opportunity to achieve this goal will occur when a vote on Selective Service’s budget comes up in the House of Representatives in late July. It was during the same process two years ago that the House voted to eliminate all funds for the agency except those needed to shut it down. Funding was restored when the Senate failed to follow suit, but it is hoped that both the House and Senate will agree on termination of Selective Service funds this year.

A parallel approach to the issue was initiated with the introduction of two bills on April 26 in the House of Representatives. The Selective Service Standby Act of 2001 (HR 1607), introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), calls for a halt to draft registration and would place Selective Service in an inactive standby status. HR 1597, introduced by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), would repeal the Military Selective Service Act and completely terminate the Selective Service System.

Both bills have been referred to the House Armed Services Committee. DeFazio's bill has five co-sponsors: Representatives Nadler, (Barbara) Lee, Miller, Baldwin and Stark. Co-sponsors of Paul’s bill include Representatives Baldwin, Stark, Conyers, Doolittle, Foley, Frank, LaTourette, McKinney, Mink, Rohrabacher, Sabo, Sanders and Sessions. Many more co-sponsors are needed before the bills would be taken up in the committee, but the proposals can also help galvanize support for cutting Selective Service funds during the summer budget debate.

ACTION NEEDED: Contact your local member of the House of Representatives and urge her/him to vote this summer to eliminate the Selective Service budget. Also ask her/him to co-sponsor HR 1607 and HR 1597. General mailing address: Rep. ____, House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. Also, urge your two Senators to support any efforts to do the same in the Senate: Senator ____, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510.

Please send copies of the letters you write to the Center on Conscience and War, 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009 http://www.nisbco.org/. CCW is coordinating lobbying on the issue. CCW also has an "Ending Draft Registration Packet" that includes some key arguments that can be made for ending draft registration and Selective Service.

This article is from Draft NOtices, the newsletter of the Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (www.comdsd.org).