A Republican state lawmaker wants to reintroduce the legislation that would remove the mandate that fluoride be added to drinking water.

>> State representative Mark Heart of Falmouth backed a similar bill during the 2024 legislative session.

But it failed to pass either chamber since then, a federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate floor lot fluoride in drinking water.

In his ruling, the San Francisco based judge and Obama appointee said research suggests high levels of the naturally occurring mineral could pose a risk to the intellectual development of children on Tuesday, Representative Hart told members of an interim joint committee and Frankfort that Kentucky can't afford to ignore the risks.

>> What our led to the legislation does not ban Flora, it just removes the unfunded mandate and then brings it to local choice with the new risk in a new data that's come out with the federal court ruling at some point, if the state continues to mandate the state's going to be responsible.

4 the outcome we have the number one fluoridation program in the country for the 40th in in relation to good oral health care.

So if this was working in more than a program, we should be the top of the list, not the bottom of the list.

>> A number of groups in support of the current use of fluoride, including the Kentucky Dental Association, the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition and the Kentucky Primary Care Association sent a letter to members of that committee.

They claim the program has reduced cavities by at least 25% and urged lawmakers to support them.

Kentucky is one of 13 states still requiring fluroide be added to drinking water.