Online Program

295587
Democracy is for people: The connections between policy and campaign finance reform


Monday, November 4, 2013 : 3:10 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Jonah Minkoff-Zern, Public Citizen, Washington, DC
Public health practitioners advocating for policy change are vastly outspent and outnumbered by corporate lobbyists. The Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling has given corporate interests even more latitude to attempt to influence legislation. With an emphasis on profits, corporations' interests are often at odds with public health efforts. This presentation will discuss the implications of the Citizens United ruling on the legislative process and how money in politics cuts across public health efforts.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Describe how campaign contributions are related to legislation, Describe the disparity between public health/community donations and corporate donations, Describe potential strategies and approaches to counter the influence of campaign contributions on legislation that impacts public health.

Keyword(s): Public Policy, Politics

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have a JD and am senior organizer on the Democracy is for People campaign at Public Citizen. I have extensive experience in legislative action, community organizing, and policy approaches.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.