Latest news with #HouseBill81
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Social districts, booze in bathrooms, no-food bars: Lawmakers try to make NH more bar friendly
The Barley House in downtown Concord on May 22, 2025. (Photo by William Skipworth/New Hampshire Bulletin) Last time Drew Cline visited family in his hometown of Hickory, North Carolina, he went to his favorite barbecue joint in a downtown area that had been struggling to keep businesses afloat in recent years. 'I always take a walk around downtown to see how it's changed,' he said. 'And there would always be vacant storefronts. Until last time I went and we did our stroll around downtown, and not a single storefront was vacant. And there were people walking around with beer, and I asked, what's going on?' Cline learned from shop owners that the area had become designated a 'social district' where people were allowed to purchase alcohol at bars and restaurants and take it with them outside the bar within this social district. He said before the district was created, the closure of mills and competition from shopping malls and development along a nearby state highway had hurt businesses' ability to stay afloat downtown. 'Now, Hickory won't attribute 100% of its revival to the social district, but they do contribute a pretty large portion of it,' he said. 'And so it's working.' Cline, who now lives in Bedford and works as the executive director at a conservative think tank called the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, pitched the idea to state Rep. Bill Boyd, a Merrimack Republican. Boyd said he used North Carolina's legislation on social districts as a model to create New Hampshire's House Bill 467, but also saw successful social district programs in Michigan, Georgia, and other states. Cline said officials he spoke with in North Carolina said they hadn't seen increases in public drunkenness or crime. 'Not even trash,' Cline said. 'Which is kind of surprising, but I think that's part of the planning for these downtowns, is that you do plan for more trash receptacles, more recycling bins.' Last week, the New Hampshire Senate approved HB 467, which now heads to Gov. Kelly Ayotte's desk. The bill would allow New Hampshire towns and cities to opt into the program and establish social districts within their borders. The districts would have to be approved by a city council or other municipal body, or during a town meeting, and plans would be submitted to the liquor commission. The bill lays out operational guidelines, including the containers designated for alcohol, signage with information and rules, and time limits set at the discretion of towns and cities. The bill also has backing from the New Hampshire Municipal Association. Brodie Deshaies, the association's legislative advocate, described the bill as 'a great private-public partnership' that towns and cities have been asking for. The bill is one of several that lawmakers are moving through the State House in an attempt to loosen restrictions on bars in the Granite State. House Bill 81, a bipartisan proposal to allow patrons to bring alcohol into the restroom at a bar or restaurant, is also headed to Ayotte's desk. State law currently prohibits people from bringing alcoholic beverages into 'foyers, hallways, kitchens, restrooms, or other areas not approved for service by the commission.' Supporters of the bill, which was sponsored by Bethlehem Democratic Rep. Jared Sullivan, characterize it as an effort to reduce the risk of date rape drugs being placed in drinks. Rep. Erica Layon, a Derry Republican, said during a hearing last month that lawmakers had heard about a woman who left her drink on a table while using the restroom because a sign said it was illegal to take it with her. While she was gone, Layon said, the woman's drink was drugged. 'She was out at a bar, had one drink, and then woke up in a hotel room the next morning after being raped,' Layon said. 'Hopefully, you share the view that it is more important to empower people to protect themselves from unwanted assaults than it is to micromanage how they manage their drinks.' Henry Veileux, on behalf of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association, said people within the industry were opposed to the bill because of potential for underage drinking and overconsumption. He added that bartenders can hold on to a patron's drink while they use the restroom. Another bill proposed this session takes aim at an old rule for establishments. New Hampshire has long prohibited bars from selling liquor without also selling food, though there's a series of exceptions that the Legislature has carved out for hotels, airport bars, and other establishments over the years. House Bill 276, sponsored by Claremont Republican Rep. Wayne Hemingway, sought to change that and create a new liquor license — 'a tavern license' — in the state that allows bars to sell hard liquor, beer, and wine without serving food. However, that bill was tabled by the state Senate last week, which means senators didn't kill it entirely but they've decided against approving it for now.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
HHS, EPA launch review of fluoride in drinking water
April 8 (UPI) -- The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services have announced they are launching a review of potential health risks associated with fluoride in drinking water. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin made the announcement Monday in Salt Lake City alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has claimed that fluoride is associated with an assortment of diseases, including cancer. "This renewed scientific evaluation is an essential step that will inform agency decisions on the standard for fluoride under the Safe Drinking Water Act," the EPA said in a statement. "This action aligns closely with EPA's core mission of protecting human health and the environment, while working cooperatively with our federal, state and local partners to ensure all Americans can rely on clean and safe water." U.S. cities have fluoridated their drinking water for decades in an effort to fight tooth decay, with Grand Rapids, Mich., becoming the first to do so in 1945. However, the practice has come under attack in the United States, with Utah last month becoming the first state to ban the fluoridation of drinking water, with several other states considering similar legislation. The use of fluoride in drinking water across the country was expected to come under renewed scrutiny by the Health and Human Services agency after President Donald Trump's election, as the New York real estate mogul tapped Kennedy -- a conspiracy theorist and known anti-vaccination advocate -- to lead the department. In November, Kennedy, on X, called fluoride "an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease." In an effort to reassure the public, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said Monday that the agency will not prejudge the outcomes of the review, which will inform the agency's future steps. "Secretary Kennedy has long been at the forefront of this issue," he said. "His advocacy was instrumental in our decision to review fluoride exposure risks, and we are committed to working alongside him, utilizing sound science as we advance our decision to review fluoride exposure risks and we are committed to working alongside him, utilizing sound science as we advance our mission of protecting human health and the environment." The American Dental Association has voiced support for fluoridating drinking water and expressed disappointment late last month with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, when he signed House Bill 81 into law, ending "one of the most equitable, trusted and tested public health strategies in the arsenal of preventive medicine." "The most common chronic childhood disease is cavities. We know that when community water fluoridation stops, it's the children and the most vulnerable of our communities who suffer," ADA President Brett Kessler said in a statement. "We urge legislators and voters across the country not to make Utah's significant mistake, and, instead, to trust credible data and science, which shows that optimally fluoridating community water is safe, effective ahd helps prevent dental disease."
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
American Dental Association pushes Cox to veto fluoride bill
The American Dental Association is pushing hard for Utah Gov. Cox to veto a bill that would prohibit the introduction of fluoride into public water drinking systems. Members and their supporters held a rally Friday morning at the state Capitol, which follows a letter they sent to Cox this week. 'On behalf of the 159,000 members of the American Dental Association, we urge you to veto House Bill 81 that would cease community water fluoridation in Utah. Utah would be the only state to end this preventive health practice that has been in place for over three quarters of a century. House Bill 81 would adopt public policy that is in complete opposition to the mission of the ADA which, along with many other health organizations, endeavors to promote disease prevention in the most effective, efficient and equitable ways,' the letter read. HB81 by Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain and has cleared both the House and the Senate, awaiting Cox's signature. In committee hearings on the measure, there were multiple people who testified in favor of the bill, with some detailing its harmful side effects and in one case, the belief that over exposure forever changed the life of a young teenager. Operators of the districts that handle the injection of fluoride also want the practice stopped. Some argued it was a safety issue, took millions of dollars to implement while Brigham City's mayor said it simply was not an efficient use of money since the systemwide application means it goes into toilets, kitchen sinks and on lawns. In contrast, multiple dentists and representatives of the Utah Dental Association and American Medical Association urged the practice to continue because of its benefits to dental health and the prevention of cavities. 'Water fluoridation is listed as one of 10 great public health achievements of the last century by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in line with vehicle safety measures, healthier mothers and babies and reduced deaths from coronary heart disease,' the letter to Cox read. 'We urge you to preserve this achievement. The state's continued oral health, the lack thereof has been linked to several other chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, low birthweight and diabetes, depends on you.' The Fluoride Action Network responded by asserting the numbers listed in the letter to Cox are not supported by sound statistical data. 'I looked at the data. Utah has very shoddy data on caries in kids. Davis County, the only other county with substantial fluoridation besides Salt Lake County ,is mysteriously missing data for their 2005 dental survey,' said the group's scientific director Chris Neurath, 'And even more mysteriously, caries rates aren't broken down by county (or health district) at all for the 2010 and 2015 surveys, so the only survey with any data for the two fluoridated counties is the year 2000 survey, which was before any fluoridation started! The only usable data available from the state website is state-wide rates for the four survey years; 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015.' Salt Lake and Davis counties have fluoridated water after voter approved initiatives. Small communities — like Brigham City and Helper — also introduce the substance. Perhaps fluoride in drinking water would not be such a contentious issue if not for the Sandy overfeed that happened in 2019. Sandy City, the Salt Lake County Health Department the Utah Department of Environmental Control were all left struggling to combat the aftermath, with much finger pointing going on as to who could or should answer to the public. In that incident, the well's pump was operational, and when an alarm went off and was cleared, the fluoride pump began to work, discharging the fluoride. Because it is 20% denser than water, it displaced the water and was fed by gravity into a portion of the drinking water system. An independent investigation by an engineering firm looking at the fluoride overfeed in Sandy that sickened hundreds of residents revealed missteps at all levels by government agencies handling the emergency. Specifically, a 181-page report produced by Hansen, Allen & Luce shows there were problems with coordination and documentation of conversations among the agencies involved and lapses in communication that led to a failure to notify the public to refrain from drinking the contaminated water — until 10 days after the release happened. Testing in some samples showed fluoride at 40 times the federal threshold of 0.7 milligrams per liter of water, but now that level is even under review. In September, a U.S. District Court judge in California said that adding fluoride to drinking water presents an 'unreasonable risk' to young children, and especially babies. That ruling in a judgment against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency directs the federal government to come out with new regulations on adding fluoride to drinking water. Judge Edward Chen said: 'The 'optimal' water fluoridation level in the United States of 0.7 milligrams per liter is nearly double that safe level of 0.4 milligram per liter for pregnant women and their offspring. In all, there is substantial and scientifically credible evidence establishing that fluoride poses a risk to human health.' Fluoride concentrate in its undiluted form is classified as a hazardous, poisonous material that, while it contains fluoride, also contains arsenic, lead, copper, manganese, iron and aluminum. It is a byproduct from phosphate mining operations. Gricius' bill softens pharmaceutical regulations so people who want fluoride can obtain it without a doctor's prescription. In this way, people who want fluoride can still get it, but those who don't are not subject to mass distribution.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Utah is one step away from becoming 1st state to ban fluoride in water
SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) – The Utah governor's signature is now all that stands between a state ban on water fluoridation after House Bill 81 cleared its final hurdle in the legislature on Friday. If that bill is signed into law, Utah would also become the first state to institute a full ban on fluoride in public water systems — with no provision allowing cities or communities to decide whether to add the cavity-preventing mineral in their localities. H.B. 81, also known as Fluoride Amendments, would instead allow pharmacists to prescribed fluoride tablets to those needing fluoride as an alternative delivery method. It's sick season. Here's how to protect against norovirus, COVID-19, flu and RSV 'I don't dispute that there can be positive benefits from fluoride, which is why the bill also includes a deregulation of the prescription,' state Republican Rep. Stephanie Gricius, one of the bill's sponsors, wrote in a text message to The Associated Press. 'This isn't anti-fluoride legislation, it is pro-informed consent and individual choice.' Debate in the legislature didn't last long. A brief presentation was given by the bill's sponsor, Sen. Kirk Cullimore, R-Utah County, which was followed by a few comments and concerns from senators. Concerns centered on disturbing local control when it came to adding fluoride to their water systems, as two counties in Utah have voted to add fluoride to their water systems. 'I don't really have a dog in the fight whether we fluoridate our water or not,' Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Davis County, told colleagues during debate. 'But I am not sure I'm comfortable with the legislature telling [local counties] that their local authorities can't do what their residents have voted to do.' Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-Salt Lake County, rose in favor of the bill, saying that there is a difference between fluoride added into water systems versus naturally occurring fluoride, and that adding fluoride to 'a universal good' was wrong for those who didn't choose to have fluoride. He also brought up cost concerns, saying most fluoride is wasted on lawns and bathrooms. The bill ultimately passed Friday in a mixed partisan vote of 18-8-3, with members of both parties voting for and against the measure. If signed by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, the bill would require all current water systems to cease fluoridation in all public water systems by May 7, 2025. As of 2024, Utah has 484 public water systems, 66 of which add fluoride to their water systems. Those systems serve roughly 1.6 million people across several counties in Utah. Nexstar's KTVX has reached out to Cox's office for a comment. A representative said he was reviewing the bill and that the governor's office would provide more information when available. Water fluoridation is the action of raising naturally occurring levels of fluoride in water systems to aid in oral health of those who drink it. The Centers for Disease Control recommends a level of 0.7 milligrams per liter, which is equivalent to three drops within a 55-gallon barrel of water. Small amounts are beneficial for oral health, experts say, but an excess of fluoride can cause dental fluorosis (a change in the appearance of teeth) in children as well as digestive problems. Fluoridation is also the most cost-effective way to prevent tooth decay on a large scale, according to Lorna Koci, who chairs the Utah Oral Health Coalition. 'I think the anti-fluoride people, they're latching onto [Robert F Kennedy Jr.'s] opportunity with his beliefs and using that now as a way to kind of get in the door to stop water fluoridation,' Koci said. Kennedy has expressed skepticism about water fluoridation, which is considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century. Catholic community in Utah 'united in prayer' for the health of Pope Francis She added that fluoridated public water is often the only form of preventive dental care for some people, and the impacts may be most visible in low-income Utah residents. Fluoride strengthens the teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the CDC. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population drinks fluoridated water. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
