The Iowa Legislature has passed a MAHA bill that would cement existing SNAP restriction waivers and impose new nutrition and physical activity requirements in schools.
The Iowa Senate voted 30-16 on April 27 to pass House File 2676 — the “Iowa Make America Healthy Again Act” — sending the bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds after the House approved it 61-31 on April 20. Reynolds proposed the package in her Condition of the State address, framing it as an effort to align Iowa with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA agenda.
HF 2676 advances a wide‑ranging set of health, nutrition and education policies. At its center, the bill makes permanent Iowa’s existing federal waiver restricting certain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Summer EBT purchases by requiring the state to continuously seek federal approval. The waiver, in effect since Jan. 1, mirrors similar efforts in more than 20 states and limits purchases of items the state classifies as unhealthy, such as soda and candy. The bill does not add new restrictions but locks in the current structure and extends it to Summer EBT.
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Reynolds praised the bill’s passage, saying it “takes common sense steps to improve health and well-being for Iowans of all ages.”
Democratic Sen. Molly Donahue of Cedar Rapids said the bill “does not improve health outcomes for Iowans,” arguing the state should instead invest more in schools, expand health‑care access and strengthen workforce support.
Beyond SNAP, the legislation bans several artificial dyes and additives, including Red Dye 40, in school meals and vending machines; mandates at least 40 minutes of daily physical activity for K–4 students; reinstates the Presidential Fitness Test; and caps elementary school screen time at 60 minutes per day while directing a broader review of technology use for older students.
The bill requires 40 hours of nutrition and metabolic health coursework for Iowa medical students. It also allows pharmacies to dispense ivermectin over the counter.
