Louisiana Sen. Mike Fesi has updated his fluoride bill to allow local municipalities to vote to remove fluoride, Gambit reported March 19.
Four notes:
1. Mr. Fesi introduced his second bill earlier this month to prohibit public water systems from automatically adding fluoride.
2. The original version of the bill would have removed a rule that requires public water systems with more than 5,000 service connections to add fluoride. Instead, local communities could vote on whether fluoride should be added to their water supply. In order for an election on water fluoridation to be held, a community would have had to gather a petition with signatures from at least 15% of voters.
3. The bill has been changed to instead allow communities with fluoridated water to vote to have the mineral removed. Fifteen percent of the community’s residents would have to sign a petition to call a vote.
4. The change came after discussions with other lawmakers, with Sen. Gerald Boudreaux ultimately convincing Mr. Fesi to update his bill.
