Bill would link driver's licenses/state i.d. with draft registration

The proposal to automatically register young men for the draft when they apply for a driver's license or DMV id card passed the Governmental Organization Committee in the California Senate on March 12. Strong statements of opposition were made by some committee members, but the bill got 8 votes, a relatively slim margin (7 out of 13 were needed).

Objections raised by committee members included the targeting of immigrants, the failure of SSS to provide a means for people to indicate conscientious objection at the time that they register, and the fact that the federal government wants the states to enforce a law that the federal government doesn't actively enforce itself (no prosecutions since the mid-1980s). For a look at the pro- arguments presented by committee staff and SSS, see the bill's Web page via the Calif. Senate Web site (www.sen.ca.gov).

URGENT: The bill could be stopped in the Senate Transportation Committee, where it will be heard around the 1st or 2nd week of April. Letters should be mailed to the committee by March 18 or faxed by March 25 to ensure that they will be on the official record. People and groups are also needed to give in-person testimony when the hearing is held in Sacramento (contact FCL below to coordinate).

There are several Senators on the Transportation Committee who have opposed this proposal in previous years, including vice-chair Tom McClintock. If you are in their districts, please work on the following people who could provide key votes: Sen. Jack Scott Pasadena; Sen. Gloria Romero, Monterey Park; Sen. Liz Figueroa, Fremont; and Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks)

Below is basic background information, phone numbers and addresses.

*********************************

ACTION ALERT: Stop Automatic Draft Registration in California!

The Selective Service System has returned to the California State Legislature for the third year in a row with a proposal to link Selective Service registration with California driver's license applications. SB 1276 would automatically register California males between ages 18 and 26 and have a disproportionate impact on low-income youths and immigrants.

This bill is part of a national campaign to coerce young men into registering for a possible future draft. According to Selective Service, as of February 5, 2002, thirteen states, one territory, and the District of Columbia had enacted draft registration/driver's license laws. Two previous attempts to enact such laws in California have failed.

SB 1276 barely passed the first of three state legislative committees on March 12. The next hearing will be in the Transportation Committee during the 1st or 2nd week of April. To make sure your letter is included in the official hearing record, it should be mailed by March 18 or faxed by March 25 to the committee:

Senate Transportation Committee State Capitol, Room 2209 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 445-3182 Fax: (916) 445-2209

Send a copy to your state senator, especially if he or she is a member of the committee (see list below) at: State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814. Ask TEN people to join you in sending letters. If you need more information about hearings and deadlines, contact one of the groups at the bottom of this alert for the current status of SB 1276.

Some suggested points to make (these are just to get you started; personal and original arguments are the most persuasive):

* Failure to register is a federal offense that is already addressed by a mechanism for determining guilt and punishment under federal law. The federal government, however, has given up on active enforcement of the law and is, instead, attempting to place the burden on the states with proposals like SB 1276.

* This bill is aimed primarily at low-income people and immigrants: Selective Service spokesperson Lewis Brodsky told AP in 1999 that "we suspect, based on the demographics we've seen, that it's high school dropouts and immigrants" who are not registering.

* While SB 1276 may increase the number of low-income people and immigrants who are registered, it will also increase the number of these individuals who drive without a license, which would not be helpful to the state.

* The language of SB 1276 does not guarantee that the federal government will reimburse California for the cost of implementation. Motorist fees and taxes are mandated by the Constitution to support motorist and transportation-related programs. SB 1276 would provide no benefit to motorists or traffic safety and, therefore, should not be funded by motorists.

* This bill requires the state to assist a federal agency that has failed to demonstrate its value and has been under bipartisan attack in Congress. In 1999, Republican members of the California House delegation joined Democrats to sponsor a bill in the 106th Congress to abolish Selective Service, and legislation to de-fund the agency passed the House (the Senate did not concur). Another bill to abolish Selective Service has been introduced in the current congress.

* The Selective Service System already has easy access to young men through its taxpayer-funded media, Internet and high-school campus registration campaigns.

* The purpose of Selective Service registration is to identify people for a possible military draft. Selective Service refuses to allow conscientious objectors to indicate their beliefs at the time that they register, and the Pentagon continues to discriminate against people based on sexual orientation. With this proposed law, therefore, California would be supporting a violation of conscience and the military's antigay policies.

*************************************************

All numbers are for capitol offices in area code (916); the second number is a fax number.

TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE:

Senator Kevin Murray (Chair), Culver City, 445-8800, 445-8899 Senator Tom McClintock (Vice Chair), Thousand Oaks, 445-8873, 324-7544 Senator James Brulte, Rancho Cucamonga, 445-3688, 327-2272 Senator Jim Costa, Bakersfield, 445-4641, 327-5989 Senator Joseph Dunn, Garden Grove, 445-5831, 323-2323 Senator Liz Figueroa, Fremont, 445-6671, 327-2433 Senator Betty Karnette, Long Beach, 445-6447, 327-9113 Senator Dick Monteith, Modesto, 445-1392 Senator Bill Morrow, San Juan Capistrano, 445-3731 Senator Don Perata, Oakland, 445-6577, 327-1997 Senator Gloria Romero, Monterey Park, 445-1418, 445-0485 Senator Jack Scott, Pasadena, 445-5976, 324-7543 Senator Nell Soto, Ontario, 445-6868 Senator Jackie Speier, San Mateo, 445-0503, 327-2186 Senator Tom Torlakson, Walnut Creek, 445-6083, 445-2527

*************************************************

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SB 1276 (Introduced on 1/16/02 by Sen. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, co-authors: Senators Alpert, Costa, Figueroa, McPherson, Monteith, Oller, Polanco, and Poochigian)

* Would change the Vehicle Code to state that all male citizens or immigrants who apply for an original driver's license or identification card who are under the age of 26 shall be registered in compliance with the requirements of the federal Military Selective Service Act.

* Declares that the submission of an application for a driver's license or identification card is a conclusive presumption that the applicant either is registered with the Selective Service System or is authorizing the department to forward to the Selective Service System the necessary information for that registration at the time that person is required to register under the Selective Service Act (i.e., at age 18).

* Requires the California Department of Motor Vehicles to include on the application a notice to the applicant that his submission of the application serves as consent to registration with the Selective Service System.

* Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to forward to the Selective Service System the personal information of male applicants for an original driver's license or identification card who are required to be registered.

The bill's text can be found at: www.sen.ca.gov.

For more information and updates, contact: Friends Committee on Legislation of California, 916-443-3734, fclinfo@cwo.com, or Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft, 619-265-1369, comd@comdsd.org.