SELECTIVE SERVICE REGISTRATION S.B. 934: FIRST ANALYSIS
Senate Bill 934 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Senator Valde Garcia
Committee: Transportation
Date Completed: 3-30-06
RATIONALE
The Selective Service System is an independent agency within the executive branch of the Federal government. Under the Military Selective Service Act, the mission of the Selective Service System is to provide the numbers of men needed by the Armed Forces should Congress and the President decide to return to a draft. Selective Service also would be responsible for administering a program of alternative service for conscientious objectors.
With few exceptions, all male United States citizens and male aliens residing in the United States and its territories must register for the Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday. (The exceptions apply to members of the Armed Forces on active duty; lawfully admitted, nonimmigrants on visas; and men who are continually confined to a residence, hospital, or institution.) A male may register online at the Selective Service website, at a U.S. post office, or at a U.S. embassy or consulate. It has been suggested that men should register when they apply for an original or renewal driver license.
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to require the Secretary of State, beginning June 1, 2006, to obtain the consent and information necessary to register an individual with the Federal Selective Service System in accordance with the Military Selective Service Act (50 USC Appx 453), including the individual's Social Security number, at the time the individual applied for a driver license.
Under the bill, by applying for an operator's license or chauffeur's license, a male U.S. citizen or immigrant to the United States less than 26 years old would give his consent to the Secretary of State to be registered by the Selective Service System if so required by Federal law. The license application form would have to state that the submission of the application served as the applicant's consent to be registered. The form also would have to include the statement, "If under the age of 18, I understand that I will be registered when I attain the age of 18 if so required by federal law."
The Secretary of State would have to forward the information obtained in an application to the Selective Service System in a format consistent with Selective Service System requirements.
The bill would take effect on June 1, 2006.
Proposed MCL 257.307b
ARGUMENTS
(Please note: The arguments contained in this analysis originate from sources outside the Senate Fiscal Agency. The Senate Fiscal Agency neither supports nor opposes legislation.)
Supporting Argument
A male who is required to register for the Selective Service System but does not is barred from receiving Federal loans and grants, job training, and in some cases, employment. As of 2005, reportedly, approximately 10,000 Michigan men had failed to register for the Selective Service. For many people, failure to register is not deliberate. The bill would provide a
convenient way for men to avoid the negative consequences of inadvertently failing to register.
Legislative Analyst: Julie Koval
FISCAL IMPACT
The Department of State does not have an estimate of costs but reports that the bill would result in information technology costs and additional transaction time.
Fiscal Analyst: Bill BowermanAnalysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb934/0506