The Universal National Service Act is the name of at least three bills proposed in the United States Congress The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C (in 2003, 2006, and 2007). The Universal National Service Act of 2007 is primarily sponsored by Congressman Charles Rangel Charles Bernard "Charlie" Rangel is an American politician. He has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1971, representing the Fifteenth Congressional District of New York. Rangel's district, the smallest in the country in geographic size, encompasses Upper Manhattan and includes such neighborhoods of New York. Advocates for National Service include Senator Chris Dodd Christopher John "Chris" Dodd is an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Connecticut, Professor and A More Perfect Constitution A More Perfect Constitution is a non-fiction book by American political scientist Larry J. Sabato, published in 2007. In it, Sabato calls for a new constitutional convention to update the United States Constitution. Sabato draws on his three decades of experience as a political analyst in proposing this radical step, making reference to historical author Larry J. Sabato, and Time Time is an American news magazine. A European edition (Time Europe, formerly known as Time Atlantic) is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition (Time Asia) is based in Hong Kong. As of 2009, Time no longer publishes a Canadian advertiser edition. The South Pacific edition, magazine Editor Rick Stengel Richard Stengel is an American editor. He is Time magazine's 16th managing editor.
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Universal National Service Act of 2003
The Universal National Service Act of 2003 (H.R. 163, S. 89) was a bill to resume the military draft Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War. The United States discontinued the draft in 1979, moving to an all-volunteer military force, thus there is no mandatory conscription in the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language, introduced in the 2003 session of the United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The bill would have provided that, as early as June 2005, young men and women ages 18–26 could be called to service. Section 6 of the bill does not include college enrollment in the list of valid deferments and postponements of being drafted[1].
The measure was introduced by representative Charles Rangel Charles Bernard "Charlie" Rangel (pronounced /ˈræŋɡəl/) is an American politician. He has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1971, representing the Fifteenth Congressional District of New York, and is the most senior member of that state's congressional delegation. He is a founding member of, a leader in the Democratic Party The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. It is one of the world's oldest political parties and boasts the lengthiest record of continuous operation in the United and co-sponsored by five other Democrats. On October 5, 2004, Republicans called for a vote on the bill. The bill was considered under a motion to suspend the rules, which required a two-thirds vote for passage for the roll call vote to take place. The roll call vote on the bill was 2 in favor, 402 against. The only Members voting "aye" were Jack Murtha John Patrick "Jack" Murtha, Jr. was an American politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010. The district stretches southwest from Johnstown, the largest city in the district and and Pete Stark Fortney Hillman "Fighting Pete" Stark, Jr. is an American politician from the state of California. A Democrat, he has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1973 (37 years), currently representing California's 13th congressional district in southwestern Alameda County. Currently he is the sixth most senior.
Observers largely believe that Rangel, knowing beforehand that the bill would never be passed by the House, introduced it only to make a point. Rangel himself argued that the point of his bill was to express his opposition to the war in Iraq. In an editorial in The New York Times The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. Although it remains both the largest local metropolitan newspaper in the United States as well as third largest overall behind The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, the weekday circulation of the paper has fallen precipitously in, Rangel said “if those calling for war knew that their children were likely to be required to serve—and to be placed in harm’s way—there would be more caution and a greater willingness to work with the international community in dealing with Iraq.” (See dailytexanonline.com and seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Some commentators opined that the bill figured in a "scare campaign" to convince US voters that Republicans (or specifically the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical style. It has been the residence of every U.S) had secret plans to re-institute conscription after the November 2 elections. For example, John Sutherland, a columnist for The Guardian The Guardian is a British national daily newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Founded in 1821, it is unique among major British newspapers in being owned by a foundation (the Scott Trust, via the Guardian Media Group). It is known for its left-of-centre political stance. At the 2010 election it supported the Liberal Democrats, claimed on May 31, 2004 that the bill is "currently approved and sitting in the Committee for Armed Services".[2] He further predicted that the draft itself would be implemented as early as June 15, 2005. William Hawkins William Hawkins was the 17th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1811 to 1814, a columnist for The Washington Times The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and has been subsidized by the Unification Church community. The Times is known for its conservative stance on social and political issues, denies that the bill was ever approved and claims that when Republicans brought it to the floor on October 5, it was for the express purpose of killing it.".[3]
Universal National Service Act of 2006
The Universal National Service Act of 2006 (H.R. 4752) introduced February 14, 2006. New York New York City, the most populous city in the United States, is known for its status as a financial, cultural, transportation, and manufacturing center, and for its history as a gateway for immigration to the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, it is also a destination of choice for many foreign visitors. Both state and Democrat Representative Charles Rangel again called for the draft to be reinstated. It required men and women 18-42 to perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for "other purposes". Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the 60th and current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Before being elected Speaker in the 110th Congress, she was the House Minority Leader from 2003 to 2007, holding the post during the 108th and 109th Congresses had rejected this proposal. It had no sponsors.
Universal National Service Act of 2007
The Universal National Service Act of 2007 (H.R. 393) is a bill introduced by Charles B. Rangel Charles Bernard "Charlie" Rangel (pronounced /ˈræŋɡəl/) is an American politician. He has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1971, representing the Fifteenth Congressional District of New York, and is the most senior member of that state's congressional delegation. He is a founding member of in the United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate on January 10, 2007. It proposes the requirement that all residents in the United States aged between 18 and 42 carry out national service National service is a common name for mandatory government service programs . The term National Service became common British usage in the Second World War, when all wealth and manpower were conscripted under government control. Many young people spent one or more years in such programs in the 20th century. Compulsory military service typically, and be available for conscription Conscription is the compulsory enrollment of people to some sort of public service. While the service may be of any sort associated with the public, the term typically refers to enlistment in a country's military. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names. Used by the Royal Navy during wartime. It allows no deferments after age 20.
When the bill was introduced, it was referred to House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Ways and Means. On February 26, it was then referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
As of December 12, 2007, the bill had two co-sponsors. They are Rep. Yvette Clarke Yvette Diane Clarke currently is a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York's 11th congressional district. She is the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, Science and Technology. Rep. Clarke won the Democratic primary election on September 12, 2006, defeating David Yassky, Carl Andrews and (D-NY) and Rep. James McDermott James Adelbert "Jim" McDermott is the current U.S. Representative for Washington's 7th Congressional District. The 7th District includes most of Seattle and Vashon Island, and portions of Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Tukwila, SeaTac, and Burien (D-WA).
Larry J. Sabato put forth a similar proposal in his 2007 book A More Perfect Constitution A More Perfect Constitution is a non-fiction book by American political scientist Larry J. Sabato, published in 2007. In it, Sabato calls for a new constitutional convention to update the United States Constitution. Sabato draws on his three decades of experience as a political analyst in proposing this radical step, making reference to historical, with the primary difference being that Sabato's requirement would have been written into the Constitution instead of existing solely as a legislative mandate.
2008 Presidential Campaign
This bill has become the subject of blogosphere speculation in the 2008 Presidential Race after Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. In the 2008 election, and Barack Obama A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 both appeared to give some support for such legislation. During an MTV/MySpace forum on February 19, 2008, Hillary Clinton, when asked about education expenses, stated: “... that’s why I’m in favor of two years of national service, where you could earn up to $10,000 a year doing national service and go right into helping you pay for college.” In a follow up comment, Barack Obama then stated: “... one of the things that I’ve proposed, for example, is that I will give a $4000 tuition credit - every student, every year - so that they are not being loaded up with enormous debts, uh, but there will be a community service - a national service component. The military could be one way for you to get this $4000 tuition credit. Another way would be to work in an under-served school that needs help. Another way would be to work in an under-served hospital or a homeless shelter, or a veterans home. The point is, I think it is important for young people to serve.”
On July 2, 2008, in a speech at Colorado Springs, Barack Obama (as presumptive Democratic Party nominee) made another reference to such legislation when he called for the creation of a nationwide civilian service program, by saying: "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." Obama used the term "civilian national security force" only in the spoken version of his speech, not in the original written version[citation needed]. Obama then went on to explain his vision of a national service program similar to the one he outlined in the MTV/MySpace forum, saying he would make federal assistance to schools contingent to school districts establishing service programs, with a goal of 50 hours of service per year for middle school and high school students, and 100 hours of service per year for college students. He also expanded on his proposed program, calling for all ages to participate in an expansion of existing voluntary national service programs, and creation of new ones, in many areas, such as infrastructure rebuilding, service to the elderly, and environmental cleanup. Obama's entire service program proposal quickly became controversial, largely for being mistaken as a call for a national paramilitary force, though the proposal's only reference to military service was to volunteer participation in regular U.S. Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, as one activity that would qualify for inclusion under the program's umbrella.
On September 11 2008, at Columbia University, Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama addressed this further, saying, "But it’s also important that a president speaks to military service as an obligation not just of some, but of many. You know, I traveled, obviously, a lot over the last 19 months. And if you go to small towns, throughout the Midwest or the Southwest or the South, every town has tons of young people who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s not always the case in other parts of the country, in more urban centers. And I think it’s important for the president to say, this is an important obligation. If we are going into war, then all of us go, not just some."
However, Obama never actually said he supported a draft, or the specific bill that is currently stalled in Congress.
See also
References
- ^ H.R. 163
- ^ "Draft Dilemma" The Guardian, 31 May 2004
- ^ "Draft Duplicity" The Washington Times, 21 October 2004
External links
- Americans for a National Service Act
- Govtrack.us: a civic project to track Congress Full text of proposed legislation
Categories: United States proposed federal legislation Categories: United States federal legislation | Proposed laws of the United States | Conscription in the United States
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