New Hampshire committee hears competing arguments over draft registration repeal and 'defend the guard' bill

CONCORD — Members of the New Hampshire House State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee heard two hours of testimony on competing measures that would change how the state responds to federal draft requirements and to presidential calls for National Guard deployments.

At a Jan. 1 committee hearing, Representative Tom Mannion (Hillsborough 1) introduced HB 55, a bill to repeal state penalties that restrict eligibility for certain state employment and higher-education benefits when a male resident fails to register with the federal Selective Service. Mannion and other supporters argued the state penalty is an unnecessary barrier for jobs and schooling while opponents, including Major General David Michalaitis, the Adjutant General, said maintaining state compliance supports veteran services and the state27s relationship with federal military authorities.

HB 104, presented later in the session by the same sponsor, would bar deployment of New Hampshire National Guard units to foreign combat zones unless Congress issues a formal declaration of war under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. Supporters said the measure would force the constitutional check on the executive branch and prevent what they described as open-ended or poorly defined foreign missions. Opponents warned of practical…