A bill limiting which foods Iowans can buy with SNAP and allowing over the counter ivermectin is on its way to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk to be signed into law.
The Iowa Senate voted 30-16 to pass House File 2676, known as the “Iowa Make America Healthy Again Act.” House lawmakers passed the bill in a 61-31 vote on April 20.
The legislation also bans certain food dyes from school meals, requires ongoing nutrition education for medical students and health care professionals, limits screen time in K-5 classrooms and requires students to get more physical activity.
“The Iowa MAHA bill aims to refocus our efforts to improve nutrition and physical activity with a focus on children, starting young and building healthy habits,” said Sen. Kara Warme, R-Ames.
Reynolds proposed the bill in her Condition of the State address, seeking to align Iowa with U.S. Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “MAHA” agenda.
“I’m grateful to the House and Senate for passing Iowa’s MAHA bill which takes common sense steps to improve health and well-being for Iowans of all ages,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Food assistance programs will now emphasize nutrition. School lunches will eliminate certain unhealthy dyes and additives. Doctors will benefit from evidence-based nutrition courses and, in turn, support better patient education, engagement and healthier outcomes. And we’ll increase access to behavioral health care by allowing psychologists licensed in other states to practice in Iowa.”
Sen. Molly Donahue, D-Cedar Rapids, said the bill “does not improve health outcomes for Iowans.”
“We should be focused on strengthening Iowa’s investments in our schools, expanding access to health care, supporting our workforce and making sure every community has a fair shot,” she said. “Instead, this bill promotes use of ivermectin and makes it harder for families to access SNAP.”
SNAP limits would be codified in Iowa law
Iowans who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would continue to see limits on which types of food they can buy.
The bill seeks to make permanent Iowa’s existing federal waiver, which took effect Jan. 1, blocking SNAP dollars from being used to buy foods defined as taxable by the Iowa Department of Revenue.
That includes unhealthy foods such as pop and candy, as well as a wider range of prepared foods.
Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said Iowa’s current waiver prohibits many prepared sandwiches while allowing less nutritious foods such as cookies and chips.
“Restricting food choices based on taxable status doesn’t make anyone healthy. It’s just confusing,” she said. “And we’re putting this into Iowa code before we’ve actually reviewed it — just a few short months after it was implemented.”
The state would have to continuously request a waiver from the federal government to maintain the restrictions, if the bill becomes law.
The bill would also end Iowa’s participation in the federal Summer EBT program, which feeds low-income children during the summer, if the federal government rescinds Iowa’s waiver.
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.
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 sales take place outside the school day.
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 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 such as tablets or laptops used to educate children.
The bill directs the Iowa Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to convene a working group to study the impact of technology on cognitive functioning and academic performance of students in sixth through 12th graders.
PE class must include the Presidential Fitness Test
Students’ physical education curriculum would be required to include the Presidential Fitness Test, which President Donald Trump revived via executive order in 2025.
The bill also includes nutrition education requirements for medical schools and continuing education in nutrition for medical professionals.
And it allows trained school personnel to deliver epinephrine, either through an EpiPen or another method, like a nasal spray.
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 Senate sends ‘MAHA’ bill to Kim Reynolds. What it would do:
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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