• Douglas A Wolf, Jennifer Karas Montez, and Shannon M Monnat.
• Aging Studies Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York; Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS), Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York; Public Administration and International Affairs Department, Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. Electronic address: dawolf@syr.edu.
• Am J Prev Med. 2022 Nov 1; 63 (5): 681688681-688.

IntroductionThe goal of this study was to estimate how state preemption laws that prohibit local authority to raise the minimum wage or mandate paid sick leave have contributed to working-age mortality from suicide, homicide, drug overdose, alcohol poisoning, and transport accidents.MethodsCounty-by-quarter death counts by cause and sex for 1999-2019 were regressed on minimum wage levels and hours of paid sick-leave requirements, controlling for time-varying covariates and place- and time-specific fixed effects. The model coefficients were then used to predict expected reductions in mortality if the preemption laws were repealed. Analyses were conducted during January 2022-April 2022.ResultsPaid sick-leave requirements were associated with lower mortality. These associations were statistically significant for suicide and homicide deaths among men and for homicide and alcohol-related deaths among women. Mortality may decline by more than 5% in large central metropolitan counties currently constrained by preemption laws if they were able to mandate a 40-hour annual paid sick-leave requirement.ConclusionsState legislatures' preemption of local authority to enact health-promoting legislation may be contributing to the worrisome trends in external causes of death.Copyright © 2022 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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