As federal lawmakers negotiate the annual defense policy bill, they will have to decide whether to include a provision that would require women to register for the military draft.

Several of Connecticut's congressional delegates say they are in favor of women registering for the draft, particularly in light of all jobs in the military now being open to women.

The Senate's version of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act includes a provision, not in the House's version, that would require women turning 18 on or after Jan. 1, 2018, to register for Selective Service.

Men have to register for Selective Service within 30 days of turning 18.

Most likely, a conference committee, made up of select House and Senate lawmakers, will negotiate this and other differences between the two versions before a final version is voted on by Congress.

"The final impediments to women serving the full range of military duties being lifted really changed the landscape in terms of how gender is treated whether it's in a draft or in an all-volunteer army ... there's now equality in terms of men and women serving," said U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District.

The decision largely will be symbolic, given that the U.S. military draft ended in 1973, and, as U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., put it, "there's no real likelihood of a draft."

"Full integration and equality in the military is long overdue in terms of the opportunities for skilled training as well as combat service and registration is part of that fabric," Blumenthal said.

At the end of last year, the Pentagon lifted its ban on women serving in combat, which opened the remaining 10 percent of positions in the military — about 220,000 — to women.

The various military services are working out the details of the integration process.

Earlier this year, California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter, who has opposed women serving in combat, introduced an amendment to the defense policy bill to require women to register for the draft.

Hunter, a Marine Corps veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, introduced the amendment to force a discussion around women serving on the front lines.

The proposal ended up passing the House Armed Services committee by a vote of 32-30, with Hunter voting against it.

The provision later was stripped during a meeting of the House Rules Committee.

In 1981 the Supreme Court ruled that the male-only draft was constitutional. But the basis for the 6-3 decision was that women weren't eligible for combat roles.

"Women have long served in the U.S. military with honor and distinction, and by opening the selective service system, we are removing one of the last government policies maintaining gender bias," Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, said in a statement.

In Connecticut, Kristen Griest of Orange made history by becoming the Army's first female infantry officer.

"Women, like Connecticut's own Kristen Griest, are breaking barriers. They've volunteered to serve in combat roles and are completely integrated in our country's military. If the draft was ever reinstituted, I believe that women should be included just like men," U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in a statement.

Last week, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, introduced an amendment to the government spending bill that would block federal funding for changes to the Selective Service requirements, saying more debate was needed on the issue.

The amendment passed 217 to 203.

If the provision ultimately is approved in the final version of the defense policy bill, it wouldn't go into effect until 2018.

"That would give our military plenty of time to work through any implementation roadblocks so we can be confident that our military can continue to be the best in the world," Murphy said.

A recent poll by the Economist/YouGov showed that a majority of Americans — 65 percent — support the decision to allow women in military combat roles. A smaller majority of Americans — 52 percent — support including women in the draft.

Women are not as supportive of drafting women as they are of allowing women in combat.

While 68 percent of women support women in combat, 46 percent of women support drafting women, and 40 percent of women oppose drafting women.

j.bergman@theday.com