Two bills addressing fluoride in drinking water, Senate Bill 2 and Senate Bill 613, passed the Arkansas Senate on April 8, 2025, and are scheduled for discussion in the House on April 10. Senate Bill 2 would repeal the statewide mandate for public water systems to fluoridate, while Senate Bill 613 introduces a petition process allowing local communities to decide through a ballot measure whether to continue water fluoridation.
Both bills, sponsored by Sen. Clint Penzo (R-Springdale), reflect growing opposition to fluoride in drinking water. Penzo has criticized fluoride as a "poison" and argued that SB 2 would empower local water districts to make their own decisions on fluoridation.
The bill passed the Senate 18-12, with five senators absent, after a contentious effort to extract it from the Senate Public Health Committee, which had initially rejected it. SB 613, which gives local communities the option to vote on fluoridation, passed more comfortably with a 27-7 vote.
The repeal of the fluoride mandate comes amid broader national scrutiny, including comments from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. opposing water fluoridation and calls from the EPA to review potential health risks of fluoride. Utah recently became the first state to ban fluoridation, adding to the momentum for change.
“It’s a good local control bill that allows the local water districts to determine whether to fluoridate.” — Sen. Clint Penzo, R-Springdale
“Fluoride has been used since 1945 to improve dental health, but there’s growing concern about its safety and efficacy.” — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Four members of an eight-member committee shouldn’t be able to hold up a bill that the whole body wanted to consider.” — Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest
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