Capitol Letters: Make America Healthy Again bill signed by governor

State Rep. Megan Jones

Recently, the Governor signed House File 2676, the Iowa Make American Healthy Again bill with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. present for the bill signing. This bill passed 61-31. This comprehensive bill works to ensure that taxpayer funds are directed towards improved physical and mental health.

Iowa currently ranks 11th in the nation for adult obesity. One in six children in Iowa are considered obese. Obesity leads to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and several types of cancers. These obesity related diseases often disproportionately affect lower-income individuals at a higher rate. The leading cause of death in Iowa is heart disease.

SNAP Healthy Standards – This bill prohibits soda and candy from being purchased under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The legislature wants the taxpayer dollars paying for this program to emphasize the nutrition aspect of this benefit to low-income individuals. According to a 2016 USDA study of foods purchased with SNAP funds, 20 cents of every dollar was spent on sweetened beverages, desserts, salty snacks, candy and sugar. This bill ensures that taxpayer funds are not going to fund poor health outcomes that do not alleviate hunger and increase long term health care costs.

School Nutrition – This bill prohibits schools and vendors from serving breakfast and lunch that contain blue dye 1 and 2, green dye 3, potassium bromate, propylparaben, red dye 40, yellow dye 5 and 6. This section is the first step to ensuring that taxpayer funds are not harming Iowa’s children with toxins and chemicals while setting them up for a future healthy lifestyle.

Technology in Schools – This bill recognizes the harm constant use of technology has on children’s learning, attention span, and mental health. The bill reasonably limits K-5 digital instruction to 60 minutes per school day while also allowing parents to opt-out of all digital instruction. This bill prohibits the use of cell phones during recess, when children should be playing rather than sitting behind another device. This bill also requires school districts to go through their device policy and see if one-to-one devices are really necessary for education and evaluate if there should be additional limits placed on grades 6-12.

Physical Activity and Presidential Fitness Test - This bill requires 10 additional minutes per day of physical activity for kindergarten through 4th grade. This will lead the nation in physical activity for children. This bill also requires the presidential fitness test for grades 1-12 after federal guidance is released.

Physician Nutrition Education – This bill requires medical schools in Iowa to require at least 40 hours of coursework on nutrition and metabolic health to graduate. This bill also requires nutrition continuing education for certain doctors and physician assistants. These initiatives aim to ensure that our medical community is focusing on their patients leading an affordable and attainable healthy lifestyle instead of relying only on pharmaceuticals.

This bill additionally allows pharmacies to offer ivermectin over-the-counter, allows for nasal epinephrine delivery systems in schools, and allows the state to participate in the psychology compact to attract more psychologists to Iowa.

Contact Rep. Megan Jones by email: megan.jones@legis.iowa.gov.