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Developed through the Center with additional funding support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, MSEHPA has been used by state and local legislators and health officials nationwide as a guide for considering public health law reform in their states. An initial draft of the Act (as of October 30, 2001) was superceded by the Act's final version (as of December 21, 2001).

Legislative Status Update: Since its completion on December 21, 2001, the Center has been tracking state legislative activity related to MSEHPA. As of April 15, 2006, the Act has been introduced in whole or part through bills or resolutions in forty-four (44) states, the District of Columbia, and the Northern Mariannas Islands. Thirty-seven (37) states [AL, AK, AZ, CA, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NM, NC, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WI, and WY] and DC have passed bills or resolutions that include provisions from or closely related to the Act. The extent to which the Act's provisions are incorporated into each state's laws varies. For more information, please refer to the specific legislative bills or resolutions referenced in the MSEHPA State Legislative Activity Table and the MSEHPA Legislative Surveillance Table (both documents include information as of April 15, 2006).

For additional information about the MSEHPA, please see the links below:

Lawrence O. Gostin, et al. The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act: Planning for and Response to Bioterrorism and Naturally Occurring Infectious Diseases, 288 JAMA 622 (2002).

James G. Hodge, Jr., Lawrence O. Gostin, The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act - A Brief Commentary (January 2002).

National Conference of State Legislatures, The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act: A Checklist of Issues (June 2002).

Model State Emergency Health Powers Act - Media Coverage (October 2002