HR 84

                                                   PRINTER'S NO.   686
               THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
      HOUSE RESOLUTION
         No. 84
                                           Session of
                                             2025
INTRODUCED BY GIRAL, SANCHEZ, HILL-EVANS, GUENST AND GREEN,
   FEBRUARY 20, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
   PREPAREDNESS, FEBRUARY 20, 2025
                           A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the Congress of the United States to amend the Military
2    Selective Service Act to require both men and women to
3    register for the draft.
4    WHEREAS, Women served the United States Army during the
5 American Revolution by nursing ill and wounded soldiers, mending
6 clothing and cooking for the troops; and
7    WHEREAS, Women have served the United States Armed Forces in
8 some capacity during every military conflict in our nation's
9 history; and
10    WHEREAS, In addition to the recognized role of women in the
11 armed forces during every military conflict, women have had de
12 facto involvement in combat situations while being officially
13 banned from combat; and
14    WHEREAS, For most of the early history of the United States
15 military, women primarily served in clerical or military medical
16 support services roles; and
17    WHEREAS, Women's formal military service began when the
18 Congress of the United States established the Army Nurse Corps
1 in 1901 and the Navy Nurse Corps in 1908; and
2WHEREAS, World War II compelled the Congress of the United
3 States to provide for additional, extremely limited service
4 roles due to the urgent need for personnel; and
5WHEREAS, In the latter half of the 20th century, social
6 change spurring the end of the military draft and the beginning
7 of an all-volunteer force, along with the equal rights movement,
8 led to increased integration of the United States Armed Forces;
9 and
10WHEREAS, In more than a decade of war in Iraq and
11 Afghanistan, approximately 300,000 women served with courage,
12 skill and patriotism; and
13WHEREAS, More than 1,000 women were injured and 166 women in
14 uniform died while serving the United States in Iraq and
15 Afghanistan; and
16WHEREAS, Women currently make up 17.5% of the active-duty
17 personnel in the United States Armed Forces; and
18WHEREAS, Women are integral to the ability of the Department
19 of Defense to fulfill its mission; and
20WHEREAS, The United States Secretary of Defense announced the
21 end of the direct ground combat exclusion rule for female
22 service members in January 2013 following a unanimous
23 recommendation by the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and
24WHEREAS, The end of the rule opened approximately 237,000
25 positions to women, including 184,000 combat arms professions
26 and 53,000 assignments that had been closed based on unit type,
27 and has ensured that the most qualified and most capable service
28 members are eligible to carry out the mission regardless of sex;
29 and
30WHEREAS, The Secretary of Defense directed that military
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1 service branches evaluate all occupational performance standards
2 accordingly, as part of a plan to eliminate unnecessary barriers
3 to service, and since January 2016, women have been eligible for
4 all military occupations and positions, without exception; and
5    WHEREAS, The Military Selective Service Act, 50 U.S.C. § 3801
6 et. seq., requires every male citizen of the United States and
7 every male residing in the United States between 18 and 26 years
8 of age to register with the Selective Service System; and
9    WHEREAS, Full equity for women in the United States Armed
10 Forces should begin with gender-neutral Selective Service System
11 registration; therefore be it
12    RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
13 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
14 States to amend the Military Selective Service Act to require
15 all individuals between 18 and 26 years of age to register for
16 the draft; and be it further
17    RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
18 the President of the United States, the presiding officers of
19 each house of Congress and each member of Congress from
20 Pennsylvania.
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