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Senate advances bill letting some county commissions put fluoridation to a local vote
Summary
After extensive floor debate over health, feasibility and local control, the Utah Senate amended and advanced S.B. 158 (a bill allowing county commissions in specified counties to place a public vote on water fluoridation) to the third-reading calendar by a 19–9 margin; the Senate adopted an amendment restoring original language on municipal exemptions.
Senate President called the session to order Feb. 15, 2000, and the Senate took up Senate Bill 158, a measure that would let county commissions in certain counties place a nonbinding or binding question on fluoridating public water systems before voters.
Sponsor's intent and amendment
Senator Allen, the bill’s sponsor on the floor, said S.B. 158 is designed to permit county commissions in second-class counties to vote to put fluoridation before citizens. Allen described the bill as a vote-rights measure rather than a mandate to fluoridate and proposed an amendment (identified on the floor as Amendment 7) to reinstate language the committee had changed so that municipalities would not be involuntarily bound by a county-level approval where separation of water systems is feasible.
Why senators debated feasibility and health
Senators questioned whether municipal opt-outs were practical where water systems are shared across jurisdictions. Senator Doolander and others warned that cross-connection of water sources between municipalities and counties can…
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