(Iowa Capital Dispatch) The Iowa Senate sent Gov. Kim Reynolds’ “Make America Healthy Again” legislation to her desk Monday, a package that includes SNAP restrictions, over-the-counter ivermectin and several school health and nutrition policies.
House File 2676, passed 30-16, seeks to make permanent the state’s currently implemented waivers restricting the purchase of unhealthy foods through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the the federal Summer EBT program. The bill does this by requiring the state to “continuously request” approval of these waivers.
Another provision requires Iowa medical school students to complete at least 40 hours of coursework on nutrition and metabolic health prior to graduation, and take a nutrition and metabolic health course every four years to remain certified as a physician.
Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said some of the changes to programs like SNAP do not promote healthy eating choices. She pointed to a report from the Washington Post that quoted some Iowans as being surprised that items like chips and cookies can still be purchased under the restrictions, while items like a “healthy sandwich” cannot be purchased with SNAP.
“If we truly want to make Iowans healthier, then we need to help them make better choices, and that needs to be based on nutrition, not on just taxable status of food items in the grocery store,” Trone Garriott said. “We need to work together on real solutions for our neighbors — because they certainly need that support to be healthier, and a big part of that is making sure that Iowans have the resources to buy the healthy foods that are a lot more expensive in the grocery store.”
The bill also would allow ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasitic infections that some have claimed can be used in preventing or treating symptoms of COVID-19, to be distributed over the counter by pharmacies.
Senators also approved language added by House lawmakers that added several provisions related to food and instruction at Iowa K-12 schools. These changes include restricting digital instruction time to an hour each day and two hours of physical activity a week for K-5 students, requiring schools to use the Presidential Fitness Test in physical education courses, and requiring high schools to be involved in at least one cocurricular or extracurricular activity.
Another proposal added by the House requires the state Department of Education to apply for a waiver to the Federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to exempt limits on sodium and requirements for whole grain and fruit and vegetable variety. The state DOE would work with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship on new guidelines on what constitutes an “nutritionally adequate meal,” which may reflect “regional food sources, including corn, pork, and dairy.” Additionally, the bill bans certain food dyes and additives, like Red Dye 40, from school meal programs and vending machines.
Sen. Molly Donahue, D-Cedar Rapids, said the measure “does not improve health outcomes for Iowans,” particularly for students in rural school districts, which she said will be disproportionately impacted by the proposed changes.
“We should be focused on strengthening Iowa’s investments in our schools, expanding access to healthcare, supporting our workforce and making sure every community has a fair shot,” Donahue said. “Instead, this bill promotes use of ivermectin ,and makes it harder for working families to access SNAP. It shifts burdens downward, reduces accountability, asks Iowans to do more with less once again. We can do better than this.”
Sen. Kara Warme, R-Ames, said some of the changes being proposed in the bill like the limit on screen time — which comes after Iowa enacted a law restricting cell phone use in schools in 2025 — are also being taken up by others across the country, including at the Los Angeles Unified School District.
“We are leading here because we care about kids in our state, and not everything that we do to improve health or education comes from throwing more money at it,” Warme said.
Reynolds issued a statement Monday saying she was grateful to lawmakers for passing the bill, which she said “takes common sense steps to improve health and well-being for Iowans of all ages.”
