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Committee hears HB 55 on Selective Service compliance; lawmakers pause for additional consideration
Summary
Representative Tom Manion introduced HB 55 to move selective-service compliance out from education statutes after federal FAFSA changes; committee discussion reflected divided views and committee deferred action for further consideration.
Representative Tom Manion introduced House Bill 55, which would move portions of the Selective Service Compliance Act out of the higher education statute and under the chapter for military benefits, while removing the state requirement that students register with Selective Service to receive state-administered higher-education assistance. Manion said the change followed a January federal decision that FAFSA no longer denies federal student aid to applicants who have not registered for Selective Service, and he argued the state should not continue to require student registration when the federal government no longer does.
Testimony included mixed views. Aubrey Friedman and other speakers supported the bill, arguing the Selective Service requirement is an outdated obligation that disproportionately affects men; they likened mandatory registration to an undue claim on individuals' bodies. Kevin Grady, representing the State Veterans Advisory Committee, opposed wide removal of the state's incentives for registration and urged solidarity with federal readiness goals, noting the committee had earlier opposed broader repeal and favor maintaining state incentives to encourage registration.
Committee members asked whether the bill removes enforcement or verification responsibilities from higher-education institutions and whether the University System had a plan for verifying compliance in the absence of FAFSA checks. Representative Manion said higher education officials had indicated support for the amended approach and described the change as removing an unfunded burden now left with colleges by the federal change. The University System was later recorded as having signed in in favor.
After discussion, committee members agreed to hold HB 55 to allow more time to consider questions raised about readiness, messaging to young people and verification procedures; no final vote or amendment was recorded in the hearing record.
