SB282

Senate Bill 282 provides a mechanism for local voters to decide whether public water systems serving 5,000 or more people should include fluoride in the water supply. The bill allows an election to be initiated through a petition signed by at least five percent of the voters from the previous county judge election or by a majority vote of the relevant county quorum court. If a majority of voters in a majority of the counties served by the system vote against fluoridation, the water system must cease adding fluoride within 30 days. The bill also specifies that the results of such an election supersede any previous or subsequent decisions made by a public water system's board regarding fluoridation. Future elections on the same issue cannot be held for at least four years following an initial vote. This legislation amends existing Arkansas law regarding the state's oversight of public water fluoridation.