Fundraising Update
Since Thursday, 29 donors have contributed $3,087. The first $505 was doubled due to a $5,000 doubling-challenge by one of our “super angels,” bringing our current total to $23,507 from 208 donors on our way to our goal of raising $140,000 from 700 donors by midnight on December 31st. A big thank you to all who have helped.
LIMITED-TIME OFFER STILL IN EFFECT: Jack Crowther’s fun maple syrup offer is still ongoing! So far only 17 supporters have claimed their pint of maple syrup.
- The next 13 people who donate $150 or more from this moment will get a pint of pure Vermont maple syrup.
- And anyone who already donated $150 or more–prior to this offer going live on Thursday–or does so after the first 30 pints have been claimed up until the end of the fundraiser, will be entered into a random drawing for the remaining 10 pints.
If you’re one of the lucky ones who qualify for this sweet New England delicacy, we will use the address provided in your donation form to ship it to you at no cost. So please double-check to make sure your information is correct when you submit it.
If you would like to offer your own creative gift giveaway or doubling challenge and watch your support for our cause inspire others to contribute, you can do so anonymously or by name. Simply send your suggested challenge to me in an email: stuart@fluoridealert.org
How to Make a Tax-Deductible Donation
You can make your donation online using our new secure fundraising page: https://fluoridealert.networkforgood.com/projects/176427-everyday-giving
Or, if the above link is not working properly in your browser, you can use our original secure fundraising page: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1415005
Mail Checks to:
Fluoride Action Network
PO Box 85
North Sutton, NH 03260
State Legislation on Fluoridation
The Fluoride Action Network (FAN) is constantly working at every level of government (local, state, federal, judicial, and bureaucratic) to end this practice. We don’t always share everything with our full email list as it’s happening because we’re so focused on the task at hand, and we also don’t want our opposition to know our strategies. But rest assured that FAN is not just a leader in providing educational and scientific resources but also when it comes to advocacy.
We’ve been working over the summer and fall to educate and recruit legislators to introduce bills in preparation for this upcoming legislative session, which starts in January in most states. We’ve also been working with local organizers who have developed campaigns in some states targeting their legislative leaders. So far, five states have bills introduced to either repeal statewide fluoridation mandates, which will give control back to municipalities, or to prohibit the practice altogether. The deadlines for the introduction of bills hasn’t arrive yet in many legislatures, so there’s a good chance we’ll be able to get a few more bills introduced this session.
We can’t reveal all of the states we’ve been working in, but here are the bills that are publicly known–and known by our opponents–at this point:
- Kentucky – A well-organized campaign run by local citizens has been working for several years on a bill to reverse the statewide mandate, making progress with each session. The bill (HB141) has an impressive 22 co-sponsors, and a public hearing was held this October, which is a very good sign going into the session. At the hearing, long-time campaigner and nurse Cindi Batson, along with members of the group Kentucky For Fluoride Choice voiced support, citing FAN’s victory in federal court. Several water department have submitted letters in support of the legislation. Kentucky ranks among the worst for dental health in the U.S., including having the highest rate of adult tooth loss despite having a statewide fluoridation mandate in place since 1954 and having the highest percentage of the population drinking fluoridation water in the nation.
- Nebraska – I’ve been working with the Chair of the Senate Health committee, Senator Ben Hansen, on a bill that would end the statewide mandate. While current law requires fluoridation of water in towns of more than 1,000 unless there is a vote to stop it, the bill would alter that arrangement by dictating that towns of any size must first adopt an ordinance in order to continue fluoridating. Anything short of ordinance adoption requires fluoridation to end. The bill also dictates that town officials overriding voters’ rejection of fluoridation would require a two-thirds vote but only a simple majority to repeal voters’ referendums favoring fluoridation. Our version of this bill last sessionpassed the Health and Human Services committee, but didn’t get to the floor in time for a full chamber vote.
- Georgia – A proposed senate bill (SB408) would remove the state’s authority to require fluoridation, giving municipal leaders the ability to end fluoridation. It would also remove the current 1.0 ppm limit. Georgia’s fluoridation mandate is unique in that it provides those allergic to fluoride the ability to treat their purchase of a water filter to remove fluoride as a tax-deductible medical expense.
- Arkansas – Two bills have been introduced in the Senate. The first would remove the current fluoridation mandate for communities of 5,000 or more. A second bill was introduced to spell out the process for removing fluoridation, allowing either municipal leaders to end fluoridation with a resolution or citizens the ability to do so using a referendum process. These two bills would give maximum control to the public on the matter.
- New Hampshire – I’ve been working with a bi-partisan team of veteran legislators on a bill to prohibit fluoridation. The bill is currently still in the LSR phase (legislative service request) and a link to the text is not available. Several years ago, we were able to get a similar bill approved by a House committee by a vote of 12-9, but a significant snowstorm led to it and 50 other bills being tabled on the last possible day of floor debate.
..and possibly several other states.
Legislative Work This Past Year
FAN spent this past year focused mostly on our lawsuit, the National Toxicology Program report, and local campaigns, but we did some legislative work, primarily focused on defeating bad bills. Two states introduced bills attempting to mandate fluoridation, including Hawaii and New Jersey. Both of these attempts were soundly defeated, sparing millions of residents from having to consume fluorosilicic acid in their tap water.
We also actively worked to monitor and defeat two bad “reporting bills,” that would have created significant obstacles for municipalities that choose to end fluoridation in both Washington State and Missouri. The Missouri bill was successful in passing quickly out of the House, but we were able to kill it before it had a hearing in the Senate.
Help Us Maintain This Momentum
In 2025, we are expecting more legislative battles, including bills to prohibit fluoridation and to overturn state mandates. It doesn’t take an expert to see that the tide has shifted and state legislators are discovering the truth about fluoridation, giving our side momentum going into the legislative sessions. But we need your help to maintain our progress, especially as we enter this critical phase with our favorable court ruling and the publication of the NTP report linking low levels of fluoride exposure to significant cognitive impairment in children! Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to FAN today.
Thank you for your support,
Stuart Cooper
Executive Director