232036 Effective strategies for sugar-sweetened beverage tax policy advocacy

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 1:30 PM - 1:50 PM

Andrew Hysell, JD , Campaign for Healthy Children, Save the Children, Washington, DC
     
For the past year, Save the Children has worked with advocates in several states across the country to build support for sugar-sweetened beverage taxes. During this time, 16 states and at least one city (Philadelphia) have introduced some form of sugar-sweetened beverage tax legislation. These proposals face a challenging political environment, in which lawmakers search for revenue sources to reverse deep state budget deficits and business owners argue that any new taxes will lead to job losses. The presentation will focus especially on sugar-sweetened beverage tax advocacy in Mississippi, including efforts to craft strong public health legislation and the results of a state-wide poll of voters on the issue. The poll results include information about how voters react to various messages about sugar-sweetened beverage taxes and the use of tax revenue. The presenter will also discuss elected officials' attitudes towards SSB taxes and effective messages to win legislative supporters. Finally, the presenter will preview plans for the 2010-2011 state legislative session.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Identify key strategies for sugar-sweetened beverage tax advocacy. Describe elected officials' attitudes towards sugar-sweetened beverage taxes.

Keywords: Obesity, Nutrition

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: as Project Director for the Campaign for Healthy Kids, I provide technical assistance and direct advocacy support for local and state SSB tax initiatives around the country. My experience during the 2010 legislative session advocating for the SSB tax can offer session attendees insight regarding the opportunities and challenges associated with these efforts.
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.

Back to: 3213.0: Sugar-sweetened beverage tax policy: What public health needs to know