HB 2396 / SB 162

This bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-221-711 to add a prohibition on public water systems—whether state, municipal, district, or privately chartered—from adding fluoride to the water supply. Effective July 1, 2025, any water supplier that “owns, operates, or controls” a public system may no longer fluoridate its water. According to the Fiscal Review Committee, roughly 88 percent of Tennesseans currently receive fluoridated water; prohibiting fluoride would save those systems an estimated $3.93 million per year, though rates paid by consumers would remain unchanged.

By banning fluoridation, the legislature is exercising its police power over public health and water quality. Water systems may continue to deliver safe drinking water, but decisions about fluoride—a substance once promoted as a preventive medicine—are removed from government hands. Individuals remain free to seek fluoride treatments or use supplements privately, shifting from a blanket, taxpayer-funded program to personal choice.