COLUMBIA - Laws on topics as disparate as bans on machine guns and standards for electronic transactions have their roots in an influential, though largely anonymous, national organization of lawyers that will meet on Hilton Head Island this week.

The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws drafts legislation intended to foster consistency among states.

More than 350 of the lawyers who make up the commission will meet in the state for a week beginning Friday.

The group has drafted 250 proposals since 1892. There are 86 proposals the commission still wants adopted, of which 15 are law in at least 50 states or territories and another 15 have been adopted in at least 40 states.

State's can be slow to take action.

"We tend to take the long view most of the time," commission spokeswoman Katie Robinson. "We don't usually think in terms of years. We think in terms of decades."

One issue the commission is likely to discuss is a proposed Uniform Emergency Volunteer Healthcare Services Act. It would allow out-of-state doctors to practice in disaster areas, such as those affected by Hurricane Katrina, using their existing state licenses.

Stephen T. Draffin, director of the South Carolina Legislative Council, is a member of the commission.

He said the amount of debate that goes into each proposal adds to its weight.

"Lawmakers know the proposals will be well-vetted," he said.

South Carolina has three members appointed by the governor. Each state pays dues to the commission to cover travel for commissioners. South Carolina, which has adopted 50 of the commission's 60 proposals since joining in 1895, paid $28,000 last year.

Most recently, South Carolina lawmakers adopted the Athlete Agents Act in 2004. It regulates agents who deal with student athletes and schools.

The state's other two members on the commission are Peden B. McLeod, a Walterboro attorney who also serves as the commission's liaison to the General Assembly, and Thomas S. Linton, a Legislative Council retiree.