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Senate rejects bill to let counties vote on water fluoridation
Summary
The Arkansas Senate debated and rejected Senate Bill 2 82, which would have allowed countywide votes on whether public water systems add fluoride; sponsor Senator Penzo framed the bill as restoring local choice while critics warned of technical and cross-jurisdictional complications.
Senator Penzo presented Senate Bill 2 82 on March 12, 2025, proposing a countywide vote to let voters decide whether public water systems in their county add fluoride. The Senate rejected the bill by a roll-call vote of 16 yeas to 11 nays, with two not voting and six present.
The bill would have created a mechanism to trigger a countywide referendum on fluoridation either by a petition of voters or by a county quorum court resolution and placed such votes on a general election ballot no more often than every four years. Penzo told colleagues the measure aimed to avoid the complexity of water-district lines by letting every registered voter in a county decide whether water delivered in that county could be fluoridated.
Why it mattered: Penzo said the measure sought to restore a local choice after an existing statewide mandate and to address public concerns about fluoridation chemicals. He cited recent legal developments and…
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