State Mandate

 

Forced statewide fluoridation bill is before the MA legislature

(Updated November 29, 2005)

A bill before the state legislature (S122/H2633) is an attempt to change our current law and force fluoridation on every Massachusetts water supply serving 5000 or more people. It would leave citizens and local Boards of Health with no way to prevent or possibly rescind the addition of fluoride to our water supplies.

The bill being considered by the legislature tells those communities that have chosen not to fluoridate that when it comes to fluoridation, the only acceptable answer is "yes". Worcester, Springfield, Methuen, Wilmington, Plainville, Rowley, Brewster, and all of Cape Cod are some Massachusetts communities that have chosen not to fluoridate.

The same bill, with two different numbers (S122/H2633) has been assigned to two different committees.  S122 is assigned to the committee on Children and Families and H2633 is assigned to the committee on Public Health.

Currently, the practice of fluoridation is becoming more and more questionable. This is a time when reason would indicate a direction exactly opposite to what this bill proposes.

 

 

Report:  Joint hearing of the Public Health and Children and Families Committee, Thursday, October 27th, 2005
 
We regard this joint hearing on the fluoridation mandate (H2633/S122) as a success because of the quality and amount of speakers.  To learn more, click here.

 

FOLLOW-UP ACTION:

 
Each of these committees will be meeting in Executive Session.  This is where they will vote on this bill, either to approve it and send it to the House, to kill it altogether, or to put a "study order" on it, which will kill it for this session, with the idea to resurrect it for the next session, starting in 2007.
 
Sen. Susan Fargo, the Chair of the Public Health Committee, strongly urged continued lobbying!   
 

PLEASE CONTACT THE MEMBERS OF BOTH COMMITTEES - PARTICULARLY THE CHAIRS (Sen. Fargo  and Rep. Koutoujian of the Public Health Committee  and Sen. Spilka  and Rep. Owens-Hicks of the Children and Families Committee) BY WRITTEN TESTIMONY OR BY PHONE - OR BOTH - TO LET THEM KNOW HOW YOU FEEL!!   Please encourage others to do the same.
 
Even better, if anyone on the committee also happens to be a legislator in your district, please meet with them at their district office.
 
THANK YOU!

 

For a sample letter, click here

For a "Fact Sheet" you can give to your legislator, click here

If you need to find out who your legislators are, click here.

 

Email members of both committees  

 

 

Committee on Children and Families:

Senators

Spilka of Second Middlesex and Norfolk (Chair)
McGee of Third Essex and Middlesex
Berry of Second Essex
Resor of Middlesex and Worcester
Baddour of Essex
Tarr of Essex and Middlesex

 

State Representatives

Owens-Hicks of Boston (House Chair)
Leduc of Marlborough 
Paulsen of Belmont
Atkins of Concord
Blumer of Framingham
L'Italien of Andover
Scibak of South Hadley
Natale of Woburn
Sannicandro of Ashland
Lepper of Attleboro
deMacedo of Plymouth 		Committee on Public Health:

Senators

Fargo of Third Middlesex (Chair)
Creem of First Middlesex and Norfolk
Chandler of First Worcester
Barrios of Middlesex, Suffolk, Essex
Buoniconti of Hamden
Tarr of Essex and Middlesex

 

State Representatives

Koutoujian of Waltham (House Chair)
Walsh of Lynn
Khan of Newton
Teahan of Whitman
Blumer of Framingham
Callahan of Sutton
Flanagan of Leominster
Sciortino, Jr. of Somerville
Turner of Dennis
Gomes of Harwich
Hargraves of Groton

 

Get inspired!

Read letters written by dentists opposed to mandatory water fluoridation in their respective states.

 

 

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