Model act

In the United States a model act is statutory text, typically drafted by the Uniform Law Commission (ULC), that is meant to serve as a guide for subsequent legislation. It is not usually meant to be enacted exactly as it is written, but is provided by the ULC as a suggestion to the various state and territorial legislatures from which they create their own law.

The ULC was created by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) to harmonize various local laws that often conflict or contradict each other from state to state. In addition to model acts it also publishes uniform acts, which are meant to be enacted exactly as they are written across the United States. Other organizations (e.g. the American Law Institute and American Bar Association) also publish model acts.

The ULC and NCCUSL are non-profit, advisory bodies that recommend uniform legislation to the states. They do not enforce or empower legislation. Neither a model act nor a uniform act has the force of law unless it is enacted by a state legislature.

Example model acts

• Model Business Corporation Act
• Model Nonprofit Corporation Act
• Model Penal Code

See also

• Uniform Act
• National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, the parent organization of the ULC
• American Bar Association, which also drafts model legislation
• Conflict of Laws
• EU Harmonization, a somewhat similar concept in European Union law