Model acts are draft laws created by special interest groups, lawyers’ conferences, or government agencies to serve as examples for legislation. The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and the American Legislative Exchange Council are two organizations known for writing model legislation. Model acts must go through the legislative process to become law.
A model act is a draft written with the intention of setting an example for legislation. A special interest group, a conference of lawyers, or a government agency can draft a model act. The goal is for the Model Act to be signed into law by local, state or federal governments.
The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) works to propose model legislation in the United States. The NCCUSL is a group of state-appointed attorneys who write model legislation for states, focusing on areas of statutory law. The model legislation provided by this organization strives to be non-partisan.
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is another organization known for writing model legislation. ALEC is conservative and has both private members and state legislators as members. At its three annual meetings, ALEC members vote on proposed model legislation. From there, model legislation goes to the organization’s board of directors. If the council approves it, the draft becomes an official model law.
Once the bill is official, ALEC legislative members can introduce the bill in their state legislatures. It is estimated that nearly 1,000 pieces of legislation are introduced in US states each year that derive in whole or in part from models approved by the ALEC. ALEC has come under some criticism. Criticism usually focuses on the private membership of the organisation, which includes many large companies, with allegations that ALEC advances legislation that benefits its private members.
Lawyers’ conferences tend to focus on legislative models specific to the area of law in which they specialize. For example, the American Immigration Lawyers Association will likely focus on immigration law, while the Connecticut Employment Lawyers Association, for example, will focus on a model act addressing a specific area of state employment law. As with a model act approved by any other organization or group, those approved by bar conferences still have to go through the legislative process to become law.
Model legislation proposed by special interest groups tends to focus on laws written the way that particular organization would like to see them passed. From bills that target specific dog breeds to bills that address prison reform, examples of this type of model act are readily available. These organizations must find a legislator willing to sponsor their draft to have any hope of seeing it passed into law.
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