Provisions of the three bills are examined. H.R. 2863 would cover minor criminal as well as civil matters; H.R. 3719 would be limited to civil disputes; and S. 957 would create a national resource center and provide funds to assist courts, States, localities, and nongovernmental organizations in developing new mechanisms for the effective, fair, inexpensive, and expeditious resolution of disputes. Daniel Meador, Assistant Attorney General, Office for Improvements in the Administration of Justice, stated that these three bills can contribute significantly to the provision of full and equal access to justice for the people of the United States. All of the bills would allow the Federal Government to play a constructive, yet limited, role in fostering experimentation with alternative approaches to dispute resolution. An article on the use of such alternative approaches in Florida is included, as are discussions of a nonjudicial model for housing disputes used in San Jose, Calif.; a project in landlord-tenant mediation in Colorado; and dispute resolution projects in Columbus, Ohio; Miami, Fla.; Rochester, N.Y.; Dorchester, Mass.; and Vancouver, B.C. Approximately 20 tables and 15 references are included.