Further research is needed on how public health officials understand and act within the laws of their jurisdictions, on whether those laws inhibit or facilitate the sharing of information needed for public health purposes, and, if laws are acting as a barrier, on what factors may influence the adoption of new privacy laws and policies within states in the future. There is also a need to continue the work, begun by Lee and Gostin, of identifying the essential elements of such a framework and build consensus within the public health community on which future privacy policies can be based. Advances in information technology and federal policies that encourage the exchange of data via electronic health records will require a common, understandable, and principled framework for ensuring the appropriate protection, use, and disclosure of personally identifiable information maintained by public health systems. Such a framework can be developed and its adoption encouraged by engaging stakeholders in the development of the framework, integrating the framework into other public health efforts such as the movement to accredit state and local health departments, and providing state and local jurisdictions with tools, such as a set of sample policies, to assess their own privacy practices and policies.