FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
More
than Half the States Support Selective Service Registration;
Idaho Becomes Number 26
March
26, 1999–Idaho became the 26th state to enact
legislation supporting the Selective Service registration
requirement. This means that more than half the states now
have laws reinforcing the federal law which requires young
men to register when they turn 18. Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne
signed Idaho House Bill 213 on March 26, 1999. The law will
go into effect on July 1, 1999.
Virtually
all men must register with Selective Service within 30 days
of turning 18. Although the last draft ended in 1973, registration
has been ongoing since 1980 so America remains prepared to
conduct a fair and equitable draft in a crisis, if needed.
Congress
has linked many federal benefits to the registration requirement.
For example, a man must be registered to be eligible for federal
student loans and Pell grants, job training programs under
the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), and federal jobs
in the Executive Branch of the government, including jobs
with the U.S. Postal Service. Male immigrants who fail to
register as required cannot obtain U.S. citizenship. Late
registrations are accepted, but a man cannot register after
reaching age 26.
In
recent years, many states enacted laws that mirror the federal
statute. The Idaho law requires men to be registered with
Selective Service before they are considered eligible for
state student financial assistance or jobs in state government.
It also prohibits non-registrants from enrolling in state
colleges and universities.
"More
than half the states now have legislation supporting Selective
Service registration," notes the Hon. Gil Coronado, Director
of Selective Service. "Nationally, on-time registration
rates have declined slightly over the past two years. With
states like Idaho passing this type of legislation, I’m
convinced the downward trend can be reversed," Coronado
added.
The
other states that have laws supporting Selective Service registration
are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, California, Delaware,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts,
Mississippi, New Jersey, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North
Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
and Virginia. West Virginia’s legislature has passed
a similar bill that has not yet been signed into law by the
governor. The
Idaho bill was sponsored by State Rep. Max C. Black, (R- District
15, Boise) and Senator Robert L. Geddes, (R- District 32,
Soda Springs), whose efforts were key in defeating an attempt
to reconsider the bill. Black steered HB 213 through a gamut
of committee hearings in both chambers of the Idaho legislature
before winning passage in both the House and the Senate. The
bill also generated strong support from veterans groups within
the state. "This
is a great way to increase on-time registrations in this state,"
noted retired Idaho Air National Guard Maj. Gen. Darrell V.
Manning, State Director of Selective Service for Idaho. "It
also reminds today’s young men they are obligated to
fulfill a civic responsibility, as so many generations before
them have done.
###
Contact:
For further information, contact Barbi Richardson or Lew Brodsky
at 703-605-4100.
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