Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) signed a sweeping piece of health and nutrition policy legislation on Wednesday, seen as valuable to the Make America Healthy Again movement.
The legislation, passed by both chambers of the state legislature last month, delivers on issues important to federal Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including improving nutrition and physical activity for school children as well as reforming food stamps.
Recommended Stories
“Iowa is an essential partner in the national movement to make America healthy again, as HHS advances reforms at the federal level,” Kennedy said at the bill signing ceremony in Des Moines. “Iowa is leading by improving nutrition, strengthening public health, and building a stronger future for American children and families.”
The bill, House File 2676, requires that the state apply for a federal waiver each year to exclude sugary beverages and junk food from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or SNAP. Iowa was one of the first states to apply for a food stamp reform voucher when Kennedy took office.
As part of broader reforms to promote health in childhood, the law prohibits school lunches from using eight artificial food dyes that have been a target of Kennedy and the Food and Drug Administration, such as Red Dye 40 and Yellow 5.
The legislation also requires that elementary school children in the fourth grade and below receive a minimum of 40 minutes of physical activity each day and limit screen time to 60 minutes each day.
Iowa school children will also now be mandated under the new law to participate in the Presidential Fitness Test, which was relaunched by President Donald Trump earlier this month on a voluntary basis for states.
Under the new law, training physicians in medical school are now required to engage in a minimum of 40 hours per week of nutrition education, falling in line with Kennedy’s push earlier this year to get universities to voluntarily boost their nutrition education programs for medical students.
Also included in the legislation is a provision allowing the medication Ivermectin, which in the U.S. is commonly used as a horse medication, to be sold over-the-counter. Ivermectin became the center of controversy when it was rumored to treat COVID-19.
Reynolds, during her speech at the signing ceremony, said Iowans are among the unhealthiest citizens in the country, citing the state’s 26% binge drinking rates along with its low exercise and high obesity rates.
“Our diets are unhealthy, our binge drinking rates are among the highest in the nation, and only 26% of adults meet federal physical activity guidelines, ranking Iowa 43rd among all 50 states,” Reynolds said during the bill signing ceremony.
Reynolds also cited that Iowa has one of the highest cancer rates in the nation. According to the University of Iowa, an estimated 21,700 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and another 6,400 will die from the disease.
“We know that when Iowans’ physical and mental health is strong, so is our state, which is why these issues have always been a priority, and we remain committed to supporting good health for all Iowans,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds has served the maximum two terms as governor of the Hawkeye state and is not seeking election for another office in the 2026 midterm elections.
But candidates on both sides of the aisle vying for the governorship have incorporated elements of the MAHA agenda into their platforms. In particular, they are focusing on the negative health effects of the herbicide glyphosate, the most common pesticide used in industrial farming in the U.S., which has been linked to certain types of cancers.
The SuperPAC MAHA Action is supporting Republican gubernatorial contender Zach Lahn, who has made advancing the MAHA agenda the centerpiece of his campaign. Lahn only received 8% support from voters in an April 14 poll, according to Victory Enterprises.
TOM ROGAN: AMERICA HAS DONE MORE FOR HUMAN FREEDOM THAN ANY POWER IN HISTORY
Democratic candidate for governor Rob Sand, a front-runner for the party, has also launched a broad policy agenda to address cancer rates in the Hawkeye state.
The primary for this year’s elections in Iowa is June 2.
