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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4176 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2449 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Natalie M. Higgins, (BY REQUEST) |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act providing municipalities to opt out of fluoridation treatments. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Karen Spencer1/17/2025 1 of 1 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4176 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2449 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Higgins of Leominster (by request), a petition (accompanied by bill, House, |
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| 19 | 19 | | No. 2449) of Karen Spencer relative to providing municipalities an opt out of fluoridation |
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| 20 | 20 | | treatments. Public Health. |
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| 21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 22 | 22 | | _______________ |
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| 23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | An Act providing municipalities to opt out of fluoridation treatments. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1 SECTION 1. Section 8C of Chapter 111 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2Official Edition, are hereby amended by inserting the following new paragraph after line 46: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 3 Any town, city or district with artificial fluoridation programs in effect can end those |
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| 32 | 32 | | 4programs with a local ordinance banning fluoridation via the local legislative body, i.e. City |
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| 33 | 33 | | 5Council, Town Meeting or Water Commissioners. That process is initiated by the presentation of |
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| 34 | 34 | | 6a petition of at least ten registered voters to the legislative body. Moreover, if the water |
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| 35 | 35 | | 7superintendent or water commissioners with responsibility for ensuring water safety determines |
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| 36 | 36 | | 8that in their opinion, the water fluoridation program is posing a risk to consumers, workers, |
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| 37 | 37 | | 9infrastructure or environment, they can suspend fluoridation programs at will. |
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