Repeal of fluoride mandate heard by senators, changes to school elections advance

By Fred Knapp , Senior Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media

March 12, 2025, 5 p.m. ·

Senator Ben Hansen (Photo by Fred Knapp, Nebraska Public Media News) — Sen. Ben Hansen. (Photo by Fred Knapp, Nebraska Public Media News)

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Nebraska cities and villages would no longer have to fluoridate their water supplies under a proposal that got a public hearing Wednesday. And school bond elections would have to be held on a more regular schedule to try and increase voter turnout under a bill advancing in the Legislature.

Currently, Nebraska cities and villages with 1,000 or more people are required to add fluoride to their municipal water supplies to cut down on tooth decay. Sen. Ben Hansen has introduced a bill (LB147) to repeal that requirement, and leave it up to individual municipalities to decide. In a public hearing before the Health and Human Services Committee Wednesday, Hansen said when municipalities were allowed to opt out of the mandate before 2010, 49 of 61 that voted had opted out.

“People don't want to be forced to take medications in their water, but Nebraska's dental associations and health departments would say they don't care about what people think we should mandate this drug,” he said.

Supporting the proposal, Stuart Cooper of the Fluoride Action Network said Nebraska is one of only 12 states that mandates fluoridation, and nine of them are considering changing that. Cooper said the reconsideration follows a federal court ruling last September requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to address concerns that fluoride poses a risk of lowering IQ in children.

“The EPA is now obligated by law to promulgate rules that will eliminate that risk. They have two years to promulgate rules, and TSCA (the Toxic Substances Control Act) gives them two options," he said. "They can either require a warning that pregnant women and children not consume fluoridated tap water, or they can prohibit the commercial use of fluoridation chemicals. That's why we're seeing all of this activity."

The Biden Administration appealed that decision but Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Trump administration’s Secretary of Health and Human Services has advised water systems to remove fluoride from their water. Utah is poised to become the first state to outlaw the practice.

Dr. Jessica Meeske, president of the Nebraska Dental Association and a pediatric dentist in Hastings, opposed the proposal to remove the fluoride mandate.

“Water fluoridation is safe, it's cheap, and it works," she said. "And what I'd like to do is paint a picture of what it would look like if we stopped fluoridating. I know this firsthand because Hastings is not fluoridated, and every day we have to block our schedule for kids that have toothaches and facial swelling and abscesses related to advanced decay. Every single day. Every day I give little kids shots in the mouth and extract teeth, and it's stressful for them and their parents."

Dr. Timothy Tesmer, Nebraska’s chief medical officer, also opposed the proposal.

“Adding fluoride to drinking water to protect against tooth decay is one of the most successful public health interventions in history," he said. "This connection has been observed since the 1930s when the U.S. National Institutes of Health began investigating how fluoride works, whether it is safe and if it could be used therapeutically. This large body of research has overwhelmingly shown the benefits of adding fluoride to drinking water significantly outweigh any health risks. Fluoridation reduces dental decay rates by approximately 25% and reduces absenteeism."

The committee took no immediate action on the proposal.

Also Wednesday, the Legislature gave first round approval to a bill (LB135) that would require school bond elections to be held on a more regular schedule to try and increase voter turnout. Sen. Rick Holdcroft said when bond issues or levy overrides are voted on separately from other elections, voter turnout is lower. Since bond issues affect property taxes, Holdcroft said it’s important to maximize voter participation.

“When it comes to electing those who govern us, we strive to engage voters and encourage them to make their voices heard," he said. "Given the escalation in property valuations and the taxes we pay on those parcels, I think it's equally important to engage as many voters as possible on issues such as bonding and levy overrides, because they too impact the property taxes we pay."

Holdcroft’s bill would require school elections be held at the same time as primary or general elections in even-numbered years. Under an amendment that was adopted, in odd-numbered years, they would have to be held on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in May or the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Sen. George Dungan was among those opposing the proposal. Dungan said schools should be able to schedule elections as they see fit.

“Being able to have flexibility in these elections provides the taxpayers cost savings by ensuring that these elections happen at times where the schools can work it into their budget in an appropriate manner," he said. "And once the election has actually happened, if they negotiate when these elections are happening to the right time, as schools do, it allows them to reduce costs in contracting and bidding and the actual construction process."

Senators voted 27-9 to give the bill first-round approval.