Here’s what is in ‘Iowa MAHA’ bill that’s one signature away from law

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) -- It copied the name of a federal initiative and now awaits Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ signature to become law. The Iowa Senate followed the House and passed House File 2676, the “Iowa MAHA” bill, which will bring changes in school lunches, restrictions on screen time, guidelines for physical activity, and training for medical professionals.

MAHA is the “Make America Healthy Again” slogan of the Trump administration.

Iowa MAHA

Governor Reynolds proposed an Iowa version, and lawmakers added some of their own ideas to the final legislation.

These are the main provisions of the bill:

• Bans certain food dyes (e.g., Red Dye 40) from school lunches and vending machines
• Requires the state to permanently request federal waivers so that it can establish its own guidelines for what foods people can purchase through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and federal Summer EBT program
• Requires Iowa medical students to complete 40 hours of coursework on nutrition
• Limits elementary students to 60-minutes-per-day of screentime
• Mandates that students in kindergarten through 4th grade get at least 40 minutes of daily physical activity
• Requires public schools to once again use the Presidential Fitness Test in physical education courses
• Allows over-the-counter purchases of Ivermectin, a drug that some people seek for COVID-19 treatment and prevention although the Federal Drug Administration has not approved its use for that