Many of the laws adopted and enacted by the states are promulgated and updated by the Uniform Law Commission. The ULC website provides helpful information not only about longtime statutes, such as the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act and the UCC, but some that have recently been adopted. The following FAQ from the ULC website describes this role:
What is the Uniform Law Commission?
For more than a century, the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) has served the states and their citizens by drafting state laws on subjects on which uniformity across the states is desirable and practicable. It is a nonprofit unincorporated association comprised of state commissioners from each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Now in its 122nd year, the ULC is the nation’s oldest state governmental association. A nonpartisan, volunteer organization, the ULC is the source of more than 300 acts that secure uniformity of state law when differing laws would undermine the interests of citizens throughout the United States.
How are Uniform Law Commissioners Appointed?
Every ULC commissioner must be an attorney. Each jurisdiction determines the method of appointment and its number of commissioners. In most states, the governor appoints the state’s commissioners to serve a specified term. In a few states, ULC commissioners serve at the will of the appointing authority and have no specific term.
ULC commissioners are volunteers who do not receive salaries or other compensation for their public service.
What is a Uniform State Law?
The Uniform Law Commission drafts uniform laws for the states to consider and enact. A uniform act is one that seeks to establish the same law on a subject among the various jurisdictions. When the term “uniform” is used in the nation’s laws, it is highly likely that the ULC drafted the act.
The ULC also promulgates “model” acts. An act may be designated as “model” if the act’s principal purposes can be substantially achieved even if the act is not adopted in its entirety by every state.
