HD22 - Report of the Virginia Commissioners to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws


Executive Summary:
The National Conference convenes as a body once a year. The annual meeting lasts eight to twelve days and is usually held in late July or early August. Throughout the year, drafting committees composed of Commissioners work over several weekends on drafts of legislation to be considered at the annual meeting. The work of the drafting committees is read, line by line, and thoroughly debated at the annual meeting. Each act must be considered over a number of years; most are read and debated by the Conference two or more times. Those acts deemed by the Conference to be ready for consideration in the state legislatures are put to a vote of the states. Each state caucuses and votes as a unit.

The governing body of the Conference, the Executive Committee, is composed of the officers elected by vote of the Commissioners, and five members who are appointed annually by the President of the Conference. Certain activities are conducted by standing committees. For example, the Committee on Scope and Program considers all new subject areas for possible Uniform Acts. The Legislative Committee superintends the relationships of the Conference to the state legislatures.

The work of the Conference strengthens the state and federal system of government. In many areas of the law, the states must solve the problem through cooperative action, or the issues are likely to be preempted by Congress. The Conference is one of the few institutions that pursue solutions to problems on a cooperative basis by the states. Without the Conference, more legislative activities would undoubtedly shift from the state capitals to Washington.