Iowa House lawmakers approved a wide-ranging “make America healthy again” bill from Gov. Kim Reynolds that would codify limits on which foods Iowans can buy with state food assistance dollars, ban some food dyes from school meals and allow over-the-counter ivermectin.
Lawmakers voted 65-30 to pass the bill, House File 2676, on March 3, sending it to the Iowa Senate. One Republican, Rep. Matthew Rinker, R-Burlington, joined every Democrat in voting no.
Reynolds has pitched the bill as aligning with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “MAHA” movement.
House Republicans amended the bill to include their priorities, including requiring young students get more physical activity and limit in-class screen time and to require school lunches to promote Iowa-based protein.
Iowa would have to maintain ‘healthy’ SNAP waiver
The centerpiece of the bill is a requirement that Iowa renew its request for a federal waiver each year that would prevent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients from using their food assistance dollars to buy unhealthy foods such as pop, candy and more.
Iowa’s current waiver took effect Jan. 1. It restricts Iowans from using SNAP dollars to buy foods defined as taxable by the Iowa Department of Revenue.
The bill says Iowa Health and Human Services would have to, at a minimum, seek to ban SNAP dollars from being used to buy foods that are restricted under Iowa’s current waiver.
The department could seek to prohibit SNAP dollars from being used for other foods in the future if the state provides all retailers with a list of the foods that would be banned as well as instructions for how to comply with the law.
The bill also requires the state to seek approval for the waiver in order to participate in the Summer EBT program, which provides money to feed low-income kids during the summer months.
“We can’t force people to have healthy lives and to eat well, but we can ensure taxpayer-funded programs promote it,” said Rep. Austin Harris, R-Moulton. “After all, it is called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.”
Iowans could get ivermectin over the counter
Iowans could buy ivermectin over the counter without a prescription, if the bill becomes law.
The bill says pharmacists and pharmacies would not be subject to professional discipline or civil or criminal penalties for distributing ivermectin.
Rep. Austin Baeth, D-Des Moines, who is a doctor, said he was disappointed to see over-the-counter ivermectin included in the legislation.
“Why? Well, because ivermectin is dangerous, folks,” he said. “I mean, it might be OK for horses. It might be OK if you’re in Africa and you have a roundworm. Those are the FDA-approved reasons for it. But the reasons why people currently take ivermectin are due to internet lore.”
Harris said five states, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Idaho, have legalized over-the-counter ivermectin.
“A total population of 49 million people have access to over the counter ivermectin and in that time there have been zero reports of overdoses from this,” he said. “This is just a scare tactic.”
Baeth said using ivermectin incorrectly can cause seizures, coma, liver failure and more.
“During the height of the COVID pandemic I saw people who overdosed on ivermectin,” he said. “You ask any ER doctor, they have seen people in their ERs after taking ivermectin. This is not a scare tactic.”
Certain food dyes like red dye 40 would be banned from school lunches
Schools would not be able to serve foods and drinks containing certain artificial dyes and ingredients.
The ban would apply to school breakfasts and lunches and would prevent school vendors or employees from providing food or drinks to students that contain the dyes.
The dyes and additives that would be prohibited include blue dye 1 and 2, green dye 3, potassium bromate, propylparaben, red dye 40 and yellow dye 5 and 6.
Schools could allow foods containing the dyes and ingredients to be sold on campus as long as the sale takes place outside the school day.
“While there is no anticipated fiscal impact for the state, school districts may have increased meal item costs to meet the requirements of the bill beginning July 1, 2027,” an analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency states.
Students would have to get more physical activity, participate in school activities
The bill says students in elementary and middle school must get at least 120 minutes of physical activity each week.
And high school students would be required to participate in at least one cocurricular or extracurricular activity as a condition of graduation.
Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, said “if we care about our kids … that includes physical education and that includes being more involved in something at their school.”
“If you have a kid in high school who doesn’t do anything, just goes to school, goes home and plays Xbox all night, I can’t imagine how that kid is going to be a fully functioning adult for the rest of their life,” he said.
Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said she agrees kids need to be busy and involved in school activities, but said some students can’t afford to participate or don’t have the time or transportation to do so.
“While I appreciate the idea, I feel that making it a requirement puts undue hardship on kids and doesn’t consider that not all kids are going home and playing Xbox,” she said. “Some are going to work to support their families.”
School nutrition guidelines would have to promote Iowa-based foods
Iowa would have to seek federal permission to update school nutrition guidelines to promote Iowa-based food sources, including corn, pork and dairy, under an amendment added by Republicans.
“It prioritizes protein from Iowa-based products and it puts meat and Iowa-based protein back at the center of the plate,” said Rep. Derek Wulf, R-Hudson.
The Iowa Department of Education would have to seek a waiver from the National School Lunch Act of 1966 seeking to exempt the state from sodium limits, whole grain requirements and fruit and vegetable variety stipulations included in current federal guidance.
If the waiver is granted, the state would create a task force to develop its own nutrition guidelines that prioritize animal-based protein, dairy products, vegetables and fresh fruit.
The bill states that “unique regional food sources, including corn, pork and dairy, are not adequately reflected by federal guidelines.”
“You forgot to mention casseroles, I believe,” Baeth said, adding that the requirements are “not rooted in science.”
K-5 students would be limited to 60 minutes of digital learning per day
Students in kindergarten through fifth grade would see their digital instruction time cut down to an hour each day, under the bill.
Reynolds already signed a law last year restricting cell phones in Iowa schools during class time. The new legislation would apply to instructional technology like tablets or laptops used to educate children.
“There’s a lot of evidence emerging that these tools are doing a lot more harm than good,” said Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham. “So I’m very excited for this measure that hopefully this is something we can do that will impact, positively, children for generations to come.”
Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, said the bill aligns classroom technology with research that shows excessive screen time can negatively impact young learners’ cognitive development.
“To be clear, this is not about being anti-tech. It’s pro-learning,” she said. “With this amendment, teachers and human connection are back at the center of the classroom.”
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa House passes Kim Reynolds’ ‘MAHA’ bill with SNAP limits, ivermectin
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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