Introduction

“A single state’s experience in a new field frequently leads to the adoption of similar action in other states, if the problem is general, the approach is well conceived, and other states can be made aware of the action.” That statement is a simple one, but it remains as true today as it did when it first appeared in the introduction to the 28 th volume of Suggested State Legislation. For 61 years, The Council of State Governments’ Suggested State Legislation (SSL) program has informed state policy-makers on a broad range of legislative issues, and its national Committee on Suggested State Legislation has been an archetype on interstate dialogue, one successfully imitated in a variety of ways. The Committee on Suggested State Legislation originated as a group of state and federal officials who first met in August of 1940 to review state laws relating to internal security. The result was a program of suggested state legislation published as A Legislative Program for Defense. The Committee reconvened following the nation’s entry into World War II in order to develop a general program of state war legislation. By 1946, the volume of Suggested State War Legislation gave way to a volume simply titled Suggested State Legislation, an annual volume of draft legislation on topics of major governmental interest. Today, SSL Committee members represent all regions of the country and many of the major functional areas of state government. They include legislators, legislative staff and other state governmental officials who contribute their time and efforts to assisting the states in the identification of timely and innovative state legislation. The items in this, the 61 st compilation of Suggested State Legislation, represent the culmination of a yearlong process in which legislation submitted by state officials and staff, CSG Associates and CSG staff was received and reviewed by members of the SSL Committee. The Committee also considers legislation from other sources, but only when that legislation is submitted through a state official. Other sources include public interest groups and members of the corporate community who are not CSG Associates. During this process, SSL Committee members convened as a Subcommittee on Scope and Agenda on three occasions to screen and recommend legislation for final consideration for volume 61. At the SSL annual meeting in November 2001 in New Orleans, Louisiana, the SSL Committee examined the proposals referred by the Subcommittee on Scope and Agenda and selected the items that appear in this volume. Although these items are published here as suggested legislation, neither The Council of State Governments nor the SSL Committee are in the position of advocating their enactment. Instead, the entries are offered as an aid to state officials interested in drafting legislation in a specific area, and can be looked upon as a guide to areas of broad current interest in the states. In fact, throughout the SSL solicitation, review and selection processes, members of the Committee employ a specific set of criteria to determine which items will appear in the volume: • Is the issue a significant one currently facing state governments? • Does the issue have national or regional significance? • Are fresh and innovative approaches available to address the issue? • Is the issue of sufficient complexity that a bill drafter would benefit from having a comprehensive draft available? • Does the bill or act represent a practical approach to the problem? • Does the bill or act represent a comprehensive approach to the problem or is it tied to a narrow approach that may have limited relevance for many states? • Is the structure of the bill or act logically consistent? • Are the language of and style of the bill or act clear and unambiguous? All items selected for publication in the annual volume are presented in a general format as shown

in the following Suggested State Legislation Style Manual and Sample Act. However, beginning with the 1997 volume, items presented in Suggested State Legislation volumes more closely reflect the style and form as they were submitted to the program. Revisions in the headings and numbering and other modifications may be necessary in order to conform to local practices, and decisions must be made regarding optional sections and provisions. Thus, readers should note that Suggested State Legislation drafts typically do not duplicate actual state legislation. A “Statement,” in lieu of a draft act, may appear in a volume when the SSL Committee has reviewed and approved a piece of legislation, but its length and/or complexity preclude its publication in whole or in the standard SSL format. “Notes” also may be used when the Committee is particularly interested in highlighting and summarizing a variety of legislative actions undertaken by the states in a particular area. State officials and staff, CSG Associates and CSG staff are encouraged to submit − at any time − legislation which is likely to be of interest and relevance to other states. In order to facilitate the selection and review process, it is particularly helpful for respondents to provide information on the current status of the legislation, an enumeration of other states with similar provisions, and any summaries or analyses of the legislation that may have been undertaken. Legislation and accompanying materials should be submitted to the Suggested State Legislation Program, The Council of State Governments, 2760 Research Park Drive, P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, Kentucky 40578-1910, (859) 244-8000 or fax (859) 244-8001. Interested readers can find out more about the SSL program by visiting the SSL pages at CSG’s Internet Web site at www.csg.org.