RELATING TO WATER FLUORIDATION.

SB2073

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2073

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to water fluoridation
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

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SECTION 1.
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The legislature finds that drinking fluoridated
water is a safe and cost-effective way to reduce cavities and to help protect
against tooth decay.
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Drinking water with
the optimal fluoride concentration helps keep teeth strong and reduces tooth
decay by approximately twenty-five per cent.
�

For this reason, most states and many countries, including Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, and Singapore, require fluoridation, or the addition of fluoride,
in their public water systems.

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In
Hawaii, only military bases currently add fluoride to their water supplies,
meaning that approximately eighty-nine per cent of the State's residents lack
access to the benefits of fluoridated drinking water.
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The legislature believes that this
contributes to the State's high prevalence of tooth decay, which affects many
adults and approximately seventy per cent of Hawaii's children.

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The
legislature also recognizes that many of the State's residents receive minimal
to no routine dental care.
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Many
residents do not have dental insurance, and medicaid managed care plans cover
dental services for children but not for adults.
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As a result, the State's hospitals experience
thousands of visits per year for dental emergencies that routine dental care
would likely have prevented.
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The
legislature believes that requiring fluoridation in the State's public water
supplies will help support residents' oral health in the absence of, or in
addition to, other dental care services.

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Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to:

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(1)
�
Require certain private and
government-owned suppliers of water to adjust the level of fluoride in the
supplier's public water system to match the
optimal
fluoride level for community water fluoridation, as established by the United
States Department of Health and Human Services
;

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(2)
�
Require each supplier of water to
conduct periodic tests of water fluoridation and to report the findings to the
department of health; and

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(3)
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Require the department of health to
submit annual reports to the legislature on statewide fluoride concentration
levels.

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SECTION
2.
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Chapter 340E, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately
designated and to read as follows:

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"
�340E-
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Water fluoridation;
testing; report.
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(a)
�
Each
private or government-owned supplier of water in the State having one thousand
or more service connections shall adjust the level of fluoride in the
supplier's public water system to meet the optimal fluoride level for community
water fluoridation, as established by the United States Department of Health
and Human Services; provided that this section shall not apply to any federal
agency operating a public water system in the State.

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(b)
�
Each supplier of water shall:

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(1)
�
Monitor and
sample, at intervals established by the department, the level of fluoride
in the supplier's water system; and

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(2)
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Report the results of the sampling to the department.

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(c)
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The department shall provide technical
assistance and training relating to community water fluoridation and the
management of fluoridation systems to each supplier of water that is subject to
this section.

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(d)
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The department shall submit a report of its
findings and recommendations on statewide fluoride concentration levels, including
any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to
the convening of each regular session.
"

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SECTION
3.
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New statutory material is
underscored.

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SECTION
4.
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This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

HHS; DOH;
Water Fluoridation; Water Testing; Reports

Description:

Requires
certain suppliers of water in the State to adjust the fluoride levels in the
supplier's public water system to meet the optimal fluoride level for community
water fluoridation, as established by the United States Department of Health
and Human Services.
�
Requires suppliers
to test water systems for fluoride levels, at intervals established by the
state Department of Health.
�
Requires the
Department of Health to provide training to suppliers on the implementation of
water fluoridation.
�
Requires the
Department of Health to submit annual reports to the Legislature.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.