Des Moines, Iowa (RI)– House Republicans have created their own “Make America Healthy Again” (or “MAHA”) agenda, and their bill calls for new standards for school lunches, limits on access to digital devices in early elementary grades, and a continuation of the state policy that bars food stamps from being used to buy things like candy and pop.
Representative Austin Harris, a Republican from Moulton, says the goal is to enhance the health and well-being of Iowans.
The bill calls for Iowa students to take the Presidential Fitness Test, and Iowa schools would have to ensure students in kindergarten through fifth grades have 120 minutes of physical activity each week. High school students would be required to participate in at least one extracurricular activity. Republican Representative Skyler Wheeler of Hull says being part of a group or team is important.
Representative Jennifer Konfrst, a Democrat from Windsor Heights, says extracurricular activities are great for students, but not all families can afford it.
Another section of the bill would limit digital instruction in kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms to 60 minutes a day. There would be some exceptions for things like computer science instruction or math and reading programs on laptops or tablets that are tailored for a student’s individual use. Representative Samatha Fett, a Republican from Carlisle, says these are reasonable guardrails.
If the bill becomes law, a list of dyes and additives could no longer appear in the food or drinks served in Iowa schools, and students would have to be taught the nutritional benefits of animal-based protein, dairy, vegetables, and fruit. The bill has some elements of the governor’s MAHA bill, including a move that could give Iowans over-the-counter access to ivermectin if a pharmacist agrees to sell it without a prescription. Representative Austin Baeth, a Democrat from Des Moines who is a doctor of internal medicine, says research shows ivermectin is not an effective treatment for COVID or cancer — and misusing ivermectin can cause dangerous conditions like seizures and liver failure.
Representative Harris, the Republican who guided debate on the bill, responded.
Last fall, officials in Colorado — where there are NOT over-the-counter sales of ivermectin — say a 74-year-old woman died after taking ivermectin intended for use in horses. The health policy bill Governor Reynolds proposed included an increase in tobacco taxes and a new tax on vaping products, but that’s not included in the bill that cleared the House last night.
KIWA Staff Photo
