(STATEHOUSE) – State Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) has been reappointed to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws by Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville).
The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, also known as the Uniform Law Commission (ULC), now in its 128th year, provides states with non-partisan, well-conceived and well-drafted legislation that brings clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law. There is only one fundamental requirement for the commissioners: they must be members of the bar. While some commissioners serve as state legislators, most are practitioners, judges and law professors. They serve for specific terms and receive no salaries or fees for their work with the ULC. The organization, headquartered in Chicago, comprises of more than 300 lawyers, judges, and law professors.
Commissioners are appointed from all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and they research, draft and promote the enactment of uniform state laws in areas of state law where uniformity is desirable and practical. Since its inception in 1892, the group has promulgated more than 200 acts, among them such bulwarks of state statutory law as the Uniform Commercial Code, Uniform Probate Code and Uniform Partnership Act.
The ULC does the following:
- Strengthens the federal system by providing rules and procedures that are consistent from state to state, but also reflect the diverse experience of the states.
- Represents all state experiences by having representatives from each state.
- Keeps state law up-to-date by addressing important and timely legal issues.
- Reduces the need for individuals and businesses to deal with different laws as they move and conduct business in different states.
- Facilitates economic development and provides a legal platform for foreign entities to deal with U.S. citizens and businesses.
- Draws on the expertise of commissioners, but also utilizes input from legal experts, advisors, and observers representing the views of other legal organizations or interests that will be subject to the proposed laws.
- Represents true value for the states, as it is a state-supported organization, providing services that most states could not otherwise afford or duplicate.
The ULC is a working organization. The commissioners participate in drafting specific acts; discuss, consider and amend drafts of other commissioners; decide whether to recommend an act as a uniform or a model act, and work toward enactment of ULC legislation in their home jurisdictions. ULC commissioners donate thousands of hours of their time and legal and drafting expertise every year as a public service.
Sen. Koch is an attorney with the law firm of Koch & McAuley, with offices in Bedford and Bloomington. He serves Senate District 44, which includes Brown and Lawrence counties and portions of Bartholomew, Jackson, and Monroe counties.
