Legislative Wrap-Up, 0118 ALBJ, 79 The Alabama Lawyer 60 (2018)

• Author: Othni J. Lathram, J.
• Position: Vol. 79 1 Pg. 60

Legislative Wrap-Up

Vol. 79 No. 1 Pg. 60

Alabama Bar Lawyer

January, 2018

Othni J. Lathram, J.

For more information about the institute, visit www.ali.state.al.us.

Co-authored by

Senator Cam Ward, Alabama Law Institute President

Uniform Law Commission: Alabama Annual Report

The Uniform Law Commission (ULC), also known as the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, has worked for the uniformity of state laws since 1892. It is comprised of state commissions on uniform laws from each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each jurisdiction determines the method of appointment and the number of commissioners appointed. The statutory authority governing Alabama's delegation can be found at Section 41-9-370 et seq, Code of Alabama 1975.

There is only one fundamental requirement for the 300+ uniform law commissioners: that they are members of the bar. While some commissioners serve as state legislators and other state officials, most are practitioners, judges and law professors. Uniform law commissioners serve for specific terms, and receive no salaries or fees for their work with the Uniform Law Commission.

Alabama's statute provides that one member of each chamber of the legislature serves on the commission along with three persons appointed by the governor, the director of the Legislative Services Agency and the deputy director of the Legislative Services Agency Legal Division. The current delegation is Senator Cam Ward, Representative Bill Poole, Judge Scott Donaldson, Judge John Carroll, Paul DeMarco, Othni Lath-ram and John Treadwell. The Alabama delegation also has a number of life members: Jerry Bassett, Bill Henning and Bob McCurley.

Commissioners study and review the law of the states to determine which areas of law should be uniform. The commissioners promote the principle of uniformity by drafting and proposing specific statutes in areas of the law where uniformity between the states is desirable. The ULC can only propose-no uniform law is effective until a state legislature adopts it.

The work of the ULC simplifies the legal life of businesses and individuals by providing rules and procedures that are consistent from state to state. Representing both state government and the legal profession, it is a genuine coalition of state interests. It has sought to bring uniformity to the divergent...