Preemption & Public Health

The legal concept of preemption — the authority of a higher level of government to limit or even eliminate the power of a lower level of government to regulate an issue — has profound significance for public health.

Developed in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), our free Public Health Law Academy training explains how preemption can help or hinder public health measures. This 2024 update features a greater focus on health equity and new examples of how preemption affects the root causes of health inequities. Preview the training content by watching this video short that covers the basics of preemption.

Preemption affects almost every aspect of life, including minimum wage requirements, airline safety regulations, environmental protection standards, and commercial tobacco control efforts. Although preemption has important implications for health care delivery and public health, it is not part of most medical, nursing, or public health training.

This training will . . .

• Equip you with a basic understanding of the legal concept of preemption
• Discuss how preemption can affect health equity and public health
• Explain how individuals in non-legal professions can anticipate, identify, and respond to preemption

If you are a TRAIN user, please register through TRAIN. To learn more about earning the Public Health Law Academy certificate of completion, see the complete seven-course training plan.

To learn more about why preemption matters for public health, download our infographic. This resource outlines how preemption can create minimum standards and how it can affect community-driven policymaking and health equity.

After viewing the training, please consider sharing your feedback.