Registering with Selective Service
What is the Selective Service?
Selective Service is an independent federal agency responsible for providing additional personnel to the Department of Defense or alternative service programs in the event of a national emergency.
Who's required to register?
All 18-year-old men living in the U.S. - both citizens and noncitizens. Male citizens living abroad must also register with Selective Service.
Where can I register?
At SSS.gov in just 45 seconds or pick up a registration card at any U.S post office or high school and mail it in. Your guidance counselor should also be able to help you register.
What if I don't register?
It's not good, as it can be qualified as a felony - you won't qualify for federally funded grants, loans, or scholarships, job training programs, all federal and postal jobs and an increasing number of state, municipal, first responder and contractor positions. Registration is not only a civic duty, it's the law, and your future.
When should I register?
You can register as early as 17 - but you are required to register within 30 days of your 18th birthday. If you missed that date, register immediately. There is no penalty up until your 26rth birthday. Once you turn 26, it's too late and you cannot ever register. Keep in mind that the longer you wait, the longer you're breaking the law and jeopardizing your future benefits. Research shows that people who don't register when they turn 18 forget or fail to register later.
From the SSS.Gov website :
Texas
Driver’s License: Yes, automatic
Education & Government Employment: Yes, both
On June 15, 2001, Gov. Rick Perry signed a law stipulating that men, age 18 through age 25, in Texas have the option to get registered with the Selective Service System when they apply to obtain or renew a state driver’s license. This law became effective on December 9, 2002, and Selective Service started receiving data transmissions on that same date. Later, an amendment to the existing driver’s license legislation was signed into law by the governor on May 28, 2011, which states that a person under the age of 26, who is required to be registered with Selective Service under federal law and who applies for a state driver’s license or renewal, permit, or state I.D. card, is automatically registered with the Selective Service System. The effective date for automatic transmission was September 1, 2011, and Selective Service continued to receive electronic data transmissions from these applications as before.
Requires men to be in compliance with the federal Selective Service registration requirement to be eligible for state student financial assistance. The law was passed in 1997. Effective September 1, 1999, state employment is contingent upon Selective Service registration or exemption.