SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM REGISTRATION S.B. 146 (S-2): FIRST ANALYSIS
Senate Bill 146 (Substitute S-2 as passed by the Senate)
Sponsor: Senator Valde Garcia
Committee: Transportation
Date Completed: 7-6-04
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 also be given an opportunity to register when they apply for an original or renewal driver license or State identification card.
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to require the Secretary of State, beginning June 1, 2005, to obtain the consent and information necessary to register males under the age of 25 for the Federal Selective Service System in accordance with the Military Selective Service Act (50 USC Appx 453), including an individual's Social Security number, at the time an individual applied for a driver license or personal identification card. The bill would take effect June 1, 2005.
Under the bill, by applying for a temporary instruction permit, operator(s license, chauffeur(s license, State personal ID card, renewal operator(s license, renewal chauffeur(s license, or renewal State personal ID card, a male citizen or an immigrant to the United States less than 26 years old would give his consent for the Secretary of State to provide information to the Selective Service System. The application forms for the licenses and ID cards would have to state that the submission of the application served as the applicant(s consent for the Secretary of State to provide the information. The forms 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 provide the information obtained in the applications to the Selective Service System in a format consistent with Selective Service System requirements.
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. In 2002, reportedly, 750 Michigan men 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. 146/0304