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Public health law is one of the important infrastructural components for public health practice. The laws enacted by each state provide an organizational structure for public health programs at the state and local level, define the powers and obligations of the public health authority, and assure that community and individual interests are appropriately balanced. Within this burgeoning field of research, public health law projects in recent years have evidenced a growing awareness of the importance of having adequate legislation to assess the public health needs of a given population and to provide the authority for disease prevention and health promotion efforts. |
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Case Study: Wisconsin Public Health Law Reform
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This case study is the third
in a series of comparative case studies of states that have considered amendments to their state public health laws subsequent to
the development of the Turning Point Act. This case study describes and assesses the ways in which Wisconsin actors employed the
Turning Point Act to modernize their state public health laws through Wisconsin A.B. 881, “An act relating to public health
planning, services, and functions” (2006). Attempts to reform Wisconsin public health law pursuant to the Turning Point Act began
well before completion of the Turning Point Act and continue into the future. Our research analyzes the major variables to which
Wisconsin informants attribute the success of their 2005-2006 modernization efforts. In so doing, we elucidate approaches more
likely to support passage of modernization efforts, providing information to policy-makers and public health officials in framing
public health law reforms.
