From the Public Health Law Program, Office of the Chief of Public Health Practice, CDC
http://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/

Model Tobacco Policies. The Technical Assistance Legal Center has developed two model policies to help organizations limit tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke at events they sponsor, produce, or operate. To view the policies, see http://talc.phlaw.org/doc_files/0089.doc.

Climate Change and Public Health Hearing (4/10). The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will hold a hearing entitled “Climate Change: A Challenge for Public Health,” on April 10, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. ET, in Dirksen Room 430. To access the hearing electronically, visit http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2008_04_10/2008_04_10.html.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Hearing (4/10). The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality will hold a hearing entitled “Strengths and Weaknesses of Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions Using Existing Clean Air Act Authorities” on April 10, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. ET, in Rayburn Room 2123. To connect to a Webcast of the hearing, visit http://energycommerce.house.gov/membios/schedule.shtml.

Quiz Winner. Congratulations to René Wood, the March Quiz Winner! Please check your answers below.

Top Story

1. Alaska public health law reform

States and Localities

2. Virginia: Federal judge rules college alcohol-ad ban violates free speech

National

3. Appeals court panel throws out class action over light cigarettes

4. Group seeks E.P.A. rules on emissions from vehicles

5. Preventing childhood obesity through state policy predictors of bill enactment

6. States ‘recycle’ meds to battle costs

International

7. Canada: Consumer protection law defective, study finds

8. Scotland: On the frontline of abuse

Briefly Noted

California downer cattle bill · Illinois AIDS disclosure ruling · Massachusetts teen driving law · Mississippi children’s products bill · Missouri pool drain rules · Montana asbestos ruling · Nebraska infant blood test suit · New Jersey Ag Department · Utah ricin case · Wisconsin volunteer pharmacists protection · National tobacco regulation · FEMA report deadline · Stroke rules · Canada chemical ingredients agreement · Tobacco ad ban · Ecuador pollution suit · England 24-hour drinking · Japan seat-belt law · Ukraine tobacco and alcohol ads

Quotation of the Week

Dr. Richard Stanwick, Chief Medical Officer for the Vancouver Island (Canada) Health Authority

This Week’s Feature

Law Behind the News. This week’s feature is a ruling from the Illinois Supreme Court in the case of a woman accusing her fiancé’s parents of misleading her about their son’s HIV status. See below for more.

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“Alaska public health law reform”

Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law     (04/08)     Benjamin Mason Meier and others

http://jhppl.dukejournals.org/cgi/content/short/33/2/281?rss=1 (subscription required)

This case study narrates how Alaska employed the Turning Point Model State Public Health Act to revise the state’s public health law over two consecutive legislative sessions. The authors analyze the political conditions during both sessions, providing the public health practice community with information to facilitate the modernization of public health statutes and informing “scholarship on the role of law and policy in building enhanced public health infrastructures.” The Turning Point Act was published in September 2003 as a tool for use by tribal, state, and local governments to assess and modernize their public health laws. Legislation introduced in 2004 in the Alaska legislature reproduced the entirety of the Act. The 2004 proposal failed, but after the session the Alaska Office of the Attorney General compared the state’s public health law with the Turning Point Act, inspiring state health officials to incorporate parts of the Act into “a bill commensurate with the public health needs of Alaska.” The Governor introduced the bill in January 2005, and it was signed into law later that year. The authors conclude that there were at least three fundamental reasons for the bill’s success: 1) Alaska health officials’ participation in the Turning Point Collaborative, which produced the Turning Point Act; 2) a “politics of fear” that employed the specific threat of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome); and 3) a top-down approach that allowed drafters to develop proposed legislative language within the Governor’s administration, without having to enlist “legislative support through collaboration prior to introduction.” 

[Editor’s note: This case study is the first in a series to “assess states’ consideration of the Turning Point Act for the purpose of public health law reform.” For more information about the Turning Point Public Health Statute Modernization National Excellence Collaborative, including access to the Turning Point Act, visit http://www.turningpointprogram.org/Pages/ph_stat_mod.html.]

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“Federal judge rules college alcohol-ad ban violates free speech”

Associated Press     (04/01/08)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/01/AR2008040101121.html

A U.S. district court judge has ruled that Virginia’s decades-old ban on alcohol-related advertising in college newspapers violates student publications’ constitutional right to free speech. The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia (ACLU) brought the suit on behalf of student newspapers at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. U.S. Magistrate Judge M. Hannah Lauck of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia overturned the state regulations, which banned ads for beer, wine, and mixed drinks in student-run publications unless they appeared in the context of a restaurant ad. The regulations had also banned the phrase “happy hour” and references to specific mixed drinks. The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) initially promulgated the rules to curb underage student drinking, but Lauck found that while reduction of alcohol abuse and underage drinking are important governmental interests, ABC failed to show that the ban reduced such behavior. Lauck also said the alcohol ads were protected commercial speech because they did not promote anything illegal and were not misleading. ACLU attorneys cited a 2004 opinion by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit that struck down a Pennsylvania law prohibiting paid alcohol print ads in college publications. In that case, the Court held that Pennsylvania’s ban unfairly burdened student-run publications and hindered their right to free speech. The Virginia Attorney General’s office, which argued on behalf of ABC, said it was disappointed in the ruling and had no further comment.

[Editor’s note: To read Educational Media Co. at Va. Tech., Inc.  v. Swecker, et al., No. 3:06CV396 (E.D. Va. March 31, 2008), visit http://www.acluva.org/docket/pleadings/techopinion.pdf. For The Pitt News v. Pappert, No. 03-1725 (3rd Cir. July 29, 2004), visit http://www.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/031725p.pdf.]  

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“Appeals court panel throws out class action over light cigarettes”

New York Times     (04/04/08)     Stephanie Saul

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/business/04tobacco.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit dismissed an $800 billion class-action lawsuit claiming cigarette companies misled smokers that light cigarettes were healthier than “full-flavored” ones. According to the Court, the plaintiffs could not be treated as a class because “[i]ndividualized proof is needed to overcome the possibility that a member of the purported class purchased Lights for some reason other than the belief that Lights were a healthier alternative.” Individual smokers may have preferred the taste of Lights or chosen them as an expression of personal style; thus, reliance on the alleged misrepresentations of cigarette ads could not be shown with common or generalized proof, a necessary component of class certification, the Court said. The lawsuit claimed that the plaintiffs were subjected to economic fraud under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act; that they bought Lights “at an artificially high price” because of the implicit representation “that Lights were healthier,” according to the ruling. However, even after the National Cancer Institute disclosed in 2001 that Lights were not healthier than other cigarettes, smokers -- including some plaintiffs -- continued to smoke Lights, the Court said. “Given the lack of an appreciable drop in the demand or price of light cigarettes after the truth about Lights was revealed …, plaintiffs’ argument that defendants’ misrepresentation caused … the price of Lights to be inflated fails as a matter of law.” The decision overturned a September 2006 ruling that certified the suit as a class action, the first time a “Lights case” had received class action certification in federal court.

[Editor’s note: To read McLaughlin v. Philip Morris USA, Inc., No. 06-4666-cv (2d Cir. April 4, 2008), visit http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/business/tobacco/tobacco.040408.pdf.]

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“Group seeks E.P.A. rules on emissions from vehicles”

New York Times     (04/03/08)     Felicity Barringer

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/washington/03pollute.html?sq=Emissions&st=nyt&scp=14
&pagewanted=print

Last week, a coalition of states, cities, and environmental groups filed a petition to expedite the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) tailpipe emissions regulations. If the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia grants the coalition’s request, EPA would have to publish within 60 days its analysis of greenhouse gas emissions, a report which found that emissions from cars and trucks endanger human health and contribute to climate change. According to the coalition, the analysis was submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget in early December 2007, and publishing it would provide a foundation for EPA to promulgate tailpipe emission rules -- something states have long sought. In a 5-4 decision last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Air Act provided EPA authority to regulate emissions from new cars and trucks and that EPA had failed its statutory duty by not regulating such emissions. After that decision, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said the agency would take a first step toward regulating tailpipe emissions by 2008, but the timetable was abandoned after Congress enacted legislation strengthening vehicle mileage standards last December. That same month, EPA also refused to grant California and other states a waiver necessary to allow them to control tailpipe emissions on their own. Last month, Johnson told Congress that EPA would seek broad public comment on regulating all greenhouse gas emissions, not only those from vehicles, but the coalition says release of the tailpipe emissions health analysis will not hinder the comment period, and is moving forward with the petition to have that information released.

[Editor’s note: To read the petition for Massachusetts v. EPA Docket No. 03-1361 (D.C. Circuit 2008), visit http://www.sierraclub.org/environmentallaw/lawsuits/docs/Mandamus_Petition.pdf. To read last year’s Supreme Court decision, Massachusetts v. EPA, 127 S.Ct. 1438 (2007), visit http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/06pdf/05-1120.pdf.]

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“Preventing childhood obesity through state policy predictors of bill enactment”

American Journal of Preventive Medicine     (04/08)     Tegan K. Boehmer

http://www.ajpm-online.net/article/S0749-3797(08)00004-4/abstract (subscription required)

This study examined legislative efforts in all 50 states to identify factors that predict enactment of childhood obesity legislation. The authors identified 717 bills introduced during 2003-2005 that addressed nutrition, physical activity, and obesity prevention. After identifying the bills, the authors determined how far each bill progressed in the legislative process and ascertained both bill-level and state-level factors that were associated with bill enactment. Bill-level factors included the number and party affiliations of bill sponsors, the type of bill (e.g., budget-related, mandate, amendment), and bill topic (e.g., body mass index reporting, safe routes to school); state-level factors were categorized as “sociodemographic, political, economic, and industrial.” The study findings showed that “bill-level factors are more influential on bill enactment than state-level factors.” Overall, 123 of the 717 childhood obesity prevention bills were enacted in 38 states. Bills most likely to be enacted were “introduced in the state Senate; had more than one sponsor; proposed a state budget; amended an existing law; and addressed walking/biking trails, safe routes to school, model school policies, and statewide initiatives/studies/task forces.” Those bills least likely to be enacted received introduction in the state House; had one sponsor; proposed a new law; generated revenue; and addressed snack/soda taxes and menu/product labeling. The authors recommended future studies to determine the types of bills and content areas “that are most likely to have an impact on health status.”

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“States ‘recycle’ meds to battle costs”

Associated Press     (04/06/08)     Candice Choi

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RECYCLING_DRUGS?SITE=MIDTF&SECTION=HOME&
TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that at least 33 states have laws to allow or to study drug recycling programs, which collect unused prescription medications for distribution to the uninsured and poor. “There are millions of dollars of unused meds out there that have not been captured,” said Linda Johnson, director of social services for Tulsa County , Oklahoma, where a program has been in place since 2004. “We do know that the cost of not providing medications has a large ripple effect and impact on our community whether it’s going to the emergency room, whether it’s going to a nursing home early, [or] missing school. If we don’t get medicines to people who need them for their mental illnesses, they become homeless, they end up in jail,” said Johnson. Some states permit donations of sealed drugs from individuals, while others accept pharmaceuticals only from institutions such as assisted-living homes or doctor’s offices. Typically, donated drugs are vetted by pharmacists for safety and distributed to hospitals, pharmacies, or charitable clinics. A pilot program in Cheyenne, Wyoming, netted $81,000 in donated drugs last year to fill 557 prescriptions. In comparison, Wyoming hospitals spend $120 million annually in uncompensated care on uninsured patients. Health care reform has “to be a cumulative effect of a lot of different efforts,” said Susie Scott, director for the Wyoming Health Care Commission. “It seems like throwing a 10-foot rope down a 40-foot hole, but we have to begin somewhere.”

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“Consumer protection law defective, study finds”

Globe and Mail     (04/02/08)     Martin Mittelstaedt

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080402.wrecall02/BNStory/National/home (subscription required)

A report commissioned by Health Canada warns that the country’s main consumer-protection law inadequately protects the public. “The fact that suppliers are not required to report adverse incidents and most consumer complaints are not investigated or validated means that consumer products posing a danger to the public are not being identified, corrected or removed,” said the report, entitled “Updating and Improving the Hazardous Protection Act.” According to the February 2007 report, the 1969 Hazardous Products Act does not require companies to inform the government of “adverse incidents,” such as serious injuries and deaths resulting from their products. The Canadian government also lacks authority to remove unsafe products from shelves, and much of the protection afforded Canadians often flows from information obtained by the United States, which has stronger regulations, according to the report. Of the 269 recalls negotiated by Health Canada in fiscal year 2005-2006, 41 percent resulted from announcements by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Under current Canadian rules, many Canadian companies exporting to the United States notify CPSC of adverse incidents involving their products because of U.S. requirements, and the companies “do not report these same incidents to [Health Canada] even if the incident occurred in Canada,” the report said. The Canadian government proposed measures in December to make adverse-incident reporting mandatory and to allow the government more power to order recalls.

[Editor’s note: To read Part 1 of “Updating and Improving the Hazardous Protection Act,” visit http://www.theglobeandmail.com/v5/content/pdf/hazproducts_partI_2008.pdf. For part 2, visit http://www.theglobeandmail.com/v5/content/pdf/hazproducts_part2_2008.pdf.]

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“On the frontline of abuse”

The Herald     (04/01/08)     Julia Horton

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/focus/display.var.2160413.0.on_the_frontline_of_abuse.php

The Scottish government recently made it a criminal offense for patients to abuse or assault nurses, midwives, and doctors. The new legislation amends the Emergency Workers Act of 2005 (2005 Act), which only protected workers in hospitals and on emergency calls. Under the 2005 Act and the new amendment, patients who are found guilty of abusive behavior, including verbal aggression, may be prosecuted for a maximum 12-month jail sentence and/or a £10,000 ($19,686) fine. Although the 2005 Act has been “very effective,” the new amendment is needed because some patients think they are within their rights to be abusive to non-emergency staff, according to Public Health Minister Shona Robinson. “I don’t think anyone should feel they have to accept abuse as part of their job,” Robinson said. Since the 2005 Act was introduced for emergency staff, there have been 1,200 charges against patients, with more than 600 convictions to date. In addition to the punitive amendments, the nursing union RCN Scotland advocates for other practical measures, including more on-site police and mobile devices to help nurses call for help discreetly. A nationwide survey of nurses showed that 34 percent reported violence at work in 2000, rising to 40 percent in 2005. “The impact of violence and aggression in the workplace is huge. Nurses who are attacked are often left traumatized, and those who remain have to deal with staff shortages while the person who has been attacked is receiving treatment or is off work,” said Norman Provan of RCN.

[Editor’s note: To read “The Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 (Modification)

Order 2008,” which amends the original act to provide new protections, visit http://www.oqps.gov.uk/legislation/ssi/ssi2008/draft/pdf/sdsi_9780110801810_en.pdf. To read “Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005,” visit http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2005/pdf/asp_20050002_en.pdf.]

_____________________BRIEFLY NOTED______________________

California: State proposal tougher than federal bill passes assembly committee

“Crackdown on processing ‘downer’ cattle advances”

Associated Press     (04/02/08)     Samantha Young

http://www.mercurynews.com/healthandscience/ci_8779856

Illinois: Woman accused fiancé’s parents of failing to tell her their son was dying of AIDS

“Illinois Supreme Court blocks $2 million jury award to woman with AIDS”

Chicago Tribune     (04/03/08)     Michael Higgins

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-aids-supremecourt-webapr04,1,2155013.story

Massachusetts: Teen deaths and speeding citations fell by 1/3 each

“Revamped teen driving law appears to make impact in first year”

Associated Press     (04/01/08)    

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1084243

Mississippi: Gov. claims bill would undermine state’s tort reform laws

“Bill on children’s products vetoed”

Sun Herald     (04/04/08)     Michael Newsom

http://www.sunherald.com/201/story/469798.html

Missouri: St. Louis County responds to federal law requiring anti-entrapment covers

“St. Louis County tightens rules on pool drains”

St. Louis Post-Dispatch     (04/05/08)     Paul Hampel

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/6F6957C4112F54E486257
4220010749B?OpenDocument

Montana: Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings found not to protect company against suits

“State isn’t shielded from asbestos lawsuits”

Associated Press     (04/01/08)     Peg Brickley

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/04/01/news/local/news02.txt

Nebraska: Parents accuse prosecutors and state health officials of due process deprivation

“Prosecutors deny allegations in lawsuit over baby blood tests”

Associated Press     (04/02/08)

http://www.nebraska.tv/Global/story.asp?S=8109146

New Jersey: Farmers worry as Gov. proposes eliminating state Department of Agriculture

“NJ taking garden out of Garden State?”

Associated Press     (03/31/08)     Tom Hester Jr.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gQF0O_IrOOtJ9N95VJCBlncFlVdgD8VP9T2G0

Utah: Man indicted for lying to investigators about failing to report ricin production

“Utahn charged in ricin case”

Salt Lake Tribune     (04/03/08)     Pamela Manson

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_8792451

Wisconsin: Pharmacists considered agents of DHFS when volunteering at clinics for uninsured

“State liability protection extended to volunteer pharmacists”

Janesville Gazette     (04/01/08)    

http://gazettextra.com/news/2008/apr/01/state-liability-protection-extended-volunteer-phar/

National: House committee approves bill giving federal government power to regulate cigarettes

“Bill for FDA regulation of tobacco advances”

Baltimore Sun     (04/03/08)     Jonathan D. Rockoff

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.tobacco03apr03,0,1372901.story

National: Post-disaster housing strategy unfinished

“FEMA allows report deadline to pass”

Times-Picayune     (04/02/08)     Bill Walsh

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-10/120711361619830.xml&coll=1

National: States enact laws protecting stroke patients

“New rules on stroke”

Washington Post     (04/01/08)     Alicia Ault

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/28/AR2008032803166.html

Canada: Companies agree to list cleaning product chemicals, other ingredients

“New product ingredient lists fall short, critics say”

Globe and Mail     (04/04/08)     Carly Weeks

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080404.wllabels04/BNStory/special
ScienceandHealth/home

Canada: New law governing display of products proves difficult for 116-year-old tobacconist

“Historic tobacco vendor fears new law will bring ruin”

Times Colonist     (04/05/08)     Sandra McCulloch

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=4c3ede52-ff80-4b28-a980-8ea6db
565b12&k=46671

Ecuador: Consultant files report in 1993 class action trial

“Chevron blamed for jungle pollution”

Contra Costa Times     (04/03/08)     George Avalos

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime/ci_8794210

England: Alcohol-related admissions increase 4x since 24-hour drinking law

“Huge rise in drink-related hospital admissions since start of 24-hour licenses”

Daily Mail     (04/01/08)     Matthew Hickley

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23470189-details/Binge+Britain:+Huge+rise+in+drink-
related+hospital+admissions+since+start+of+24-hour+licences/article.do

Japan: Law to require back-seat passengers to buckle up takes effect June 1

“Back-seat riders to be bound by seat-belt law”

Japan Times     (04/05/08)     Takahiro Fukada

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080405f1.html

Ukraine: Law approved by overwhelming majority of MPs

“Law prohibiting external advertising of tobacco and alcohol signed into effect”

Ukrainian Observer     (04/08/08)

http://ukraine-observer.com/index.php?c=1545

__________PHL NEWS QUOTATION OF THE WEEK___________

”And then there were 17 people who said ‘So-and-so is smoking in front of my door.’ In some cases, people have been waiting for the opportunity to make the call.”

-- Dr. Richard Stanwick, Chief Medical Officer for the Vancouver Island (Canada) Health Authority, on the instant popularity of the province’s smoking ban. The law went into effect last week, and 36 people phoned enforcement officers for more information immediately thereafter. [See Briefly Noted item, above, for more.]

__________________LAW BEHIND THE NEWS___________________

Last week, the Illinois Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case of Jane Doe, who sued Kirkpatrick and Elizabeth Dilling for fraudulent misrepresentation for failing to disclose the fact that their son, Doe’s fiancé, was infected with HIV. According to the opinion, Doe had been in a romantic relationship with Albert Dilling from 1996 to 1999, when he died of AIDS. During that time, Doe claimed that although Albert’s health was a constant topic of conversation between her and the Dillings, they “had intentionally and falsely stated to her that Albert was not infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and/or suffering from AIDS when they knew that, in fact, he was HIV-positive and had AIDS.” According to Doe’s complaint, the “actions of the Dillings caused her to delay the discovery that she herself was infected with HIV, resulting in physical harm to her as she was unable to obtain timely medical treatment and she now has full-blown AIDS.” A successful claim of fraudulent misrepresentation must establish the following elements: “(1) a false statement of material fact; (2) known or believed to be false by the person making it; (3) an intent to induce the plaintiff to act; (4) action by the plaintiff in justifiable reliance on the truth of the statement; and (5) damage to the plaintiff resulting from such reliance.”

The Court reviewed Doe’s claim of fraudulent misrepresentation, and, overturning the appellate court decision, agreed with the Dillings that the tort of fraudulent misrepresentation should not be expanded to include purely personal transactions. Traditionally, the tort is only recognized in business dealings, but exceptions have been made in other jurisdictions to expand the cause of action in cases where one party has transmitted a sexually transmitted disease to another. The Court distinguished those cases, and found that none involved a third party.

The Court also found that, given the facts, Doe’s reliance on statements made by the Dillings was unjustifiable, “but she also could have easily discovered additional facts if she had not chosen to consciously ignore what was plainly in front of her.”

To read the text of the opinion, Doe v. Dilling, visit http://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/docs/104049.pdf.

_________________MARCH QUIZ WINNER_________________

This month’s winner is René Wood! René is the Perinatal Hepatitis B coordinator and the Infectious Disease Epi Surveillance Charge Nurse for the Wichita Falls/Wichita County Public Health District in Wichita Falls, Texas, where she has worked for two and half years. She developed an interest in Public Health Law after attending a Public Health Law Workshop presented by the University of North Texas Health Science Center in April 2006.

Congratulations René!

____________ QUIZ ANSWERS: MARCH 2008____________

The March Quiz covered the following issues: March 5, 12, 19, and 26. Check your answers below.

1. The Humane Society filed suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture over a purported loophole in regulations meant to prevent bovine spongiform encephalopathy. (Answer A)

2. 30 percent of Canada's dentists have failed to reach a 2007 target for limiting mercury used in dental fillings. (Answer B)

3. Texas recently became the first state in the nation to mandate that insurance providers give employees’ health records to their employers. True (Answer A)

4. Washington state lawmakers have overwhelmingly passed a bill that would set some of the toughest restrictions in the nation on the chemical content of children’s toys. (Answer A)

___________________________________________________________

The CDC Public Health Law News is published each Wednesday except holidays, plus special issues when warranted. It is distributed only in electronic form and is free of charge.  News content is selected solely on the basis of newsworthiness and potential interest to readers. CDC and DHHS assume no responsibility for the factual accuracy of the items presented. The selection, omission, or content of items does not imply any endorsement or other position taken by CDC or DHHS. Opinions expressed by the original authors of items included in the News, or persons quoted therein, are strictly their own and are in no way meant to represent the opinion or views of CDC or DHHS. References to products, trade names, publications, news sources, and non-CDC Websites are provided solely for informational purposes and do not imply endorsement by CDC or DHHS. Legal cases are presented for educational purposes only, and are not meant to represent the current state of the law. The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of CDC. The News is in the public domain and may be freely forwarded and reproduced without permission. The original news sources and the CDC Public Health Law News should be cited as sources. Readers should contact the cited news sources for the full text of the articles.

For past issues or to subscribe to the weekly CDC Public Health Law News, visit http://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/cphln.asp. For help with subscriptions or to make comments or suggestions, send an email to Rachel Weiss at rweiss@cdc.gov.

The News is published by the Public Health Law Program, Office of the Chief of Public Health Practice, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Rachel Weiss, J.D., Editor; Christopher Seely, J.D., Associate Editor; Karen L. McKie, J.D., M.L.S., Editorial Advisor.