State laws setting the scope and limits of emergency authority are crucial to an effective public health response. This suite of legal data captures details of legislation that addresses emergency health authority introduced between January 1, 2021, and May 20, 2022, in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia.
The six datasets were created in collaboration with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the Network for Public Health Law, using scientific legal mapping techniques to document state bills affecting the nature and/or allocation of public health authority at the state and local levels:
- Public Health Authority Limits
- Reallocation of Public Health Authority
- Strengthening Public Health
- State Limits on Enforcement of Federal Law
- Regulating Public Health Measures
- Public Health Preemption
The data are among the resources being developed by the Center and others as part of the Act for Public Health initiative, which provides direct support to public health departments and others through consultation, training, legal technical assistance, research, and resources to address legislation that weakens their ability to protect the communities they serve. Act for Public Health is a partnership that includes ChangeLab Solutions, the Public Health Law Center, the Network for Public Health Law, and Public Health Law Watch.