preemption|watch

Over the last few years, the movement to promote smoke-free policies for multi-unit housing has been extremely successful.  Thousands of privately own apartment buildings have voluntarily implemented policies prohibiting or significantly restricting smoking in common areas, individual units, on patios and balconies and on the entire property.  Public housing authorities…

The Institute of Medicine has addressed federal and state preemption in a new report on law and policy in public health. Among the most authoritative, and unbiased, voices in public health, the IOM has concluded that federal and state preemption should be avoided “unless there are compelling reasons to the…

Taking a well-worn page from the playbook of the Tobacco Industry, the fast food industry is quietly, and so far successfully, eliminating local control over nutrition policy. In March, the Arizona legislature passed a preemption bill written by the Arizona Restaurant Association.  The new law, which goes into effect in July, takes away the authority…

About 3000 Americans die in home fires every year and thousands more are injured. Home fires are the greatest cause of fire deaths and injuries, and children under five and older adults face the highest risk. One of the great public health success stories of the past decade is the grassroots movement for…

There’s been bad news on the federal preemption front recently, but there’s some good news, too. Last month, the Administrative Conference of the United States published a Recommendation for the first time in fifteen years—about preemption in federal rulemaking. The Recommendation explains a Clinton-era Executive Order (that builds upon a…