Uniform Laws Update — Navigating the Uniform Law Commission’s Website

The Uniform Law Commission (ULC) is a nonprofit association of state-appointed attorney commissioners. The organization is funded mainly by state appropriations, supplemented by publishing royalties and occasional grants from foundations or federal agencies to fund specific projects. Its mission is to provide states with non-partisan, carefully conceived uniform state laws on topics where uniformity is feasible and desirable. By pooling resources from the individual states, the ULC can convene committees comprising nationally recognized expert attorneys who donate their time and expertise to develop uniform state laws. In doing so, the ULC helps to facilitate collaboration by state governments for areas where uniformity of law is beneficial, but federal oversight is not.

All of the ULC’s work is done in public. Meetings of the drafting committees that create uniform laws are open for attendance by any interested person. A wealth of information is available for RPTE members at the ULC’s website.

Uniform Acts

The ULC website includes a page for each of the 172 current uniform and model acts. A “current” act is an act that has been approved by the ULC for promulgation to state legislatures and has not been withdrawn as obsolete or superseded by a subsequent act.

Most of these 172 current acts are “uniform” acts, which means the ULC recommends that state legislatures adopt the uniform language of the act, with only minor deviations to accommodate unique state circumstances, terminology, or legal procedures. Uniformity of law is a primary goal for uniform acts. Some others are “model” acts, which means the act represents a set of best practices recommended by the ULC, but there is no particular need for uniformity among states. Of course, the ULC can only recommend legislation. Elected officials can and sometimes do alter provisions of uniform laws as part of the legislative process.

The ULC web page for each current act generally contains the following information:

• A searchable PDF version of the act with official comments for download and reference;
• A Microsoft Word version of the act (without comments) for download, which state bill drafting offices may use as a template;
• An enactment map showing which states and jurisdictions have adopted the act;
• An enactment kit, including a summary, endorsements, and a list of talking points for use with elected officials and legislative staff;
• Links to related acts or previous versions of the act;
• Legislative bill tracking, with links to any current bills in state legislatures; and
• Contact information for the ULC Legislative Counsel assigned to provide support for the act.

From the top menu bar, select “Acts,” then “Browse Acts,” for an alphabetical list of all current acts. Each act is also tagged with one or more relevant subject areas. Real property practitioners may want to view the list of acts tagged with “Real Property, Mortgages, and Liens.” Trust and estate practitioners can review acts tagged with “Probate, Trusts, and Estates.”

Drafting and Study Committees

From the top menu bar of the ULC website, select “Projects” to view a list of drafting committees developing new uniform acts and study committees studying whether a specific legal topic meets the criteria for a uniform or model act. Drafting committees are open to any interested party who wants to participate. From any committee’s web page, you can choose to “follow” or “unfollow” the project. Followers will receive advance notice of all drafting committee meetings and copies of draft acts for review and comment.

Also, the “Projects” menu displays information about the ULC’s criteria for new projects and procedures for submitting proposals, plus a list of current committee rosters.

Meetings and Events

Under the Meetings and Events menu, you will find a calendar of upcoming ULC meetings—both committee meetings and annual meetings in which the entire body of uniform law commissioners convenes each summer.

Anyone who elects to “follow” a drafting committee may register to attend committee meetings, either in person or remotely via Zoom. There is also a link for nonprofit organizations to apply for a grant to help cover travel expenses for in-person attendance.

News and Publications

The “News and Publications” menu will bring you to a summary of recent news involving uniform acts and their adoption by state legislatures.

You can also find on the “Publications” page:

• Links to the ULC’s most recent annual and quarterly reports;
• The official “Guide to Uniform and Model Acts,” which is published annually with a short description of each act, an index of acts by category, and enactment charts for each current act;
• Manuals for Observers and ABA Advisors that describe the duties and roles of participants on ULC drafting committees; and
• A list, updated quarterly, of current ULC drafting projects and studies.

The “Videos” page contains general informational videos about the ULC and specific uniform acts. The “Webinar Series” contains archived presentations about specific ULC projects. Finally, the website has a link to a “Reprint Request” form used to request permission to republish uniform acts, often for CLE programs. The ULC’s current policy is to grant republication permission with no royalty fee when ULC-copyrighted works are used for nonprofit educational purposes.

Legislation

The ULC periodically posts legislative reports showing all current and pending bills to adopt uniform acts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

About ULC

Lastly, the “About ULC” menu contains a wealth of information about the organization—including its Constitution, bylaws, and rules of procedure—the names of commissioners appointed by each state, a list of frequently asked questions, staff contact information, policies, and more.