Law Making by Professional and Trade Associations

When the government of the United States was established, it adopted in its complete form the English legislative system which existed at the foundation of the colonies. This structure, including the committee systems, has come down almost unchanged to modern times. In addition there are in the United States fifty other independent law-making bodies having a large measure of sovereignty of their own which govern the forty-eight states and our two major territories now petitioning for statehood. To these there should be added over one hundred thousand local legislative bodies such as city councils, county commissioners, school boards, irrigation districts, and the like—all with some degree of sovereign law-making power. Connected with and subsidiary to all these more-or-less independent law-making bodies within their own jurisdiction are myriads of administrative units with delegated legislative rule-making powers—such rules having the force of law when they are applied. I. The Pressure of Organized Interests on Legislation II. Government Cooperation with Associations in Law Making III. Complete Law Making by Professional and Trade Associations IV. The Creation of Uniform Laws V. Dangerous Defects in Private Law Making VI. Suggested Remedies