Tennessee
New bill aims to remove fluoride from drinking water in Tennessee
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A Tennessee lawmaker is proposing a bill that will make utility companies take fluoride out of drinking water.
District 27 representative Michele Reneau is behind House Bill 2398.
She tells us fluoride was first added to drinking water in the 1940s, after studied found that people who consumed it showed fewer signs of tooth decay.
“It was calcium fluoride, which is the not more natural occurring fluoride, with the hope that it would improve dental caries,” says Reneau.
She says she recently discovered there hasn’t been much research to show that fluoride is improving dental health.
According to her research, Reneau says high amounts of fluoride in water can be harmful to pregnant women and newborns.
We have evidence coming out now that there is concern about the amount of fluoride someone could be getting,” says Reneau.
According to Reneau, House Bill 2398 would give parents a choice on whether to apply fluoride to their water or to remove it.
She says addressing tooth decay and cavities starts with addressing nutrition.
“If we really want to address the root cause of increased dental caries, we need to to consider how we can help folks make better choices.”
Chattanooga parent Justin Jakimiak says he supports having fluoride in tap water.
Jakimiak says that removing it will only end up costing Tennessee families in the long run.
It’s going to increase rates of cavities, which will lead to higher health care costs in fixing those cavities,” says Jakimiak.
He says the fluoride issue should be decided by the public at large.
I think it benefits everybody to have clean and safe drinking water,” says Jakimiak.
If the bill passes, it will go in to effect on July 1st.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Big hearts, small hands! Tennessee kids are stepping up to make a big difference this summer.
First Lady Maria Lee on Tuesday announced the eighth annual Tennessee Kids Serve Summer Challenge, encouraging young students to dedicate part of their summer to helping others.
The program, part of the Tennessee Serves initiative, runs from June 1 through Aug. 1 and is open to rising kindergarteners through rising sixth graders across the state.
Participants must complete at least two hours of service across two of eight designated categories to finish the challenge, with top participants earning an invitation to a September carnival at the Tennessee Residence.
Since its launch in 2019, more than 3,500 children have contributed over 15,000 hours of service through activities ranging from park cleanups to assisting nursing homes and raising funds for disaster relief.
Registration opened Tuesday, with parents and guardians able to sign up participants and access additional details through the First Lady’s official website.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A bill moving through the Tennessee Legislature could reshape how pharmacies do business in the state, with CVS warning it could lead to widespread store closures.
The Tennessee Senate has passed legislation that would change the way pharmacies can operate. The proposal has been dubbed “the CVS bill” because it directly impacts the drugstore chain.
Under the bill, drugstores would no longer be allowed to negotiate prices directly with insurance providers or government programs. Instead, a third party would be required to step in.
The bill is now under debate in the House. CVS says the change would force more than 100 of its pharmacies to close across Tennessee, but lawmakers disagree.
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