Statewide, Iowa – A bill that includes a wide range of health-related topics is headed to Governor Kim Reynolds’ desk.
It includes many of her own proposals, like requiring banning certain food dyes and additives in food served in Iowa schools and requiring Iowa medical students to complete 40 hours of coursework on nutrition and how the human body converts food into energy.
Legislators added a 60-minute-per-day limt on screentime in elementary gradess and there must be at least 40 minutes of daily physical activity for students in kindergarten through 4th grade. Republican Senator Kara Warme of Ames says the goal is to inspire healthy habits in kids.
The bill requires state officials to keep applying for federal permission to restrict food assistance to healthy foods. Representative Austin Harris, a Republican from Moulton, says that’s an important element in the bill.
Senator Molly Donahue, a Democrat from Marion who opposed the bill, says it should have focused on expanding access to health care in rural Iowa.
The bill would let Iowa pharmacists dispense ivermectin over the counter. Representative Austin Baeth, a Democrat from Des Moines, says ivermectin can cause seizures and liver failure and should only be dispensed by a prescription issued by a doctor.
The bill passed the Senate on a 30-to-16 vote this past Monday. The House approved it last week on a 61-to-31 vote. Governor Reynolds calls it Iowa’s Make America Heathy Again bill and she says it takes common sense steps to improve healh and well-being for Iowans of all ages.
KIWA Staff Photo
