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Uniform Legislation

RESOURCE GUIDE – UNIFORM LEGISLATION IN NEW MEXICO

Uniform legislation has a long history in New Mexico, dating back to at least Arie Poldervaart’s discussion of uniform legislation in Uniform Laws and New Mexico, published in 1954. The Uniform Law Commission, also known as the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and hereafter referred to as the Uniform Law Commission, was created in 1892 and the creator, or co-creator, of the majority of the uniform laws that are currently incorporated into the New Mexico Statutes Annotated. The Uniform Law Commission defines a uniform act as a law that is the same among various jurisdictions and the similarity and uniformity of the law is the primary or only goal of the legislation. The Uniform Law Commission defines a model act in a similar way, with the main difference being that uniformity is not the primary goal of the legislation and differences between jurisdictions are allowed for within the act. Uniform and model legislation generally aims to simplify interstate relations on subjects where states may often interact.  Chapter 2, Article 4 of the New Mexico Statutes Annotated establishes a Commission for the Promotion of Uniform Legislation in New Mexico and the duties of the commissioners specifically mention uniform legislation on the topics of marriage and divorce.  Matters of domestic law uniform legislation include the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act, Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, Uniform Child Abduction Prevention Act, New Mexico Uniform Parentage Act, and Uniform Interstate Enforcement of Domestic Violence Protection Orders Act. However, a review of the New Mexico Statutes Annotated demonstrates that the inclusion and influence of uniform legislation on New Mexico statutory law extends far beyond matters of domestic law. What follows is a non-comprehensive list of some of this legislation by subject.

Criminal Law and Procedure:

Civil Law and Procedure:

Trials and Judgments:

 

Probate:

Business and Commerce:

Professions:

Trusts and Fiduciaries:

Property:

Health Care:

Voting:

Selected Print Resources:

Guidelines for Drafting and Editing Legislation

Model Laws, Regulations and Guidelines

New Mexico and the Uniform State laws

Uniform Laws Annotated

Selected Electronic Resources

National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws – Archive Publications

Uniform State Laws in the United States [electronic resource] / Fully Annotated, by Charles Thaddeus Terry; Edited and Published under the Auspices and for the Purposes of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (1920)

The Supreme Court Law Library provides both print and electronic resources on the topic of uniform and model legislation to its patrons. All of the cited statutes are available on NMOneSource.com. The books on uniform legislation are available at a variety of call numbers in the library. A Special Titles list on uniform legislation is also available on the library’s online catalog. Please contact us if you have questions or if you would like assistance locating any of the library’s resources.