Iowa bill codifying SNAP restrictions, allowing over-the-counter ivermectin advances

DES MOINES — Iowa House lawmakers advanced Gov. Kim Reynolds’ sweeping health care legislation, which includes codifying SNAP and Summer EBT waivers and allowing over-the-counter ivermectin, on Thursday.

The bill, House Study Bill 694, is one of Reynolds’ big pushes during her last session as Iowa governor, as she attempts to solidify her legislative priorities

Lawmakers on the three-member House subcommittee greenlit the legislation 2-1. Republican Reps. Austin Harris, of Moulton, and Dan Gehlbach, of Urbandale, supported moving the bill forward. Democratic Rep. Austin Baeth, of Des Moines, declined to sign on to advancing it.

A primary focus of the legislation is codifying waivers to align federal nutrition programs with Iowa’s “Healthy SNAP” program, including for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program.

In December, the state announced that it will return to a federal summer food assistance program in 2026, while tying the program’s $40 per month per child to Iowa’s new healthy foods initiative. A report last year showed Iowa’s program in 2025 fell well short of reaching the number of children that the federal program would have reached.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the state’s waiver to align Summer EBT with Iowa’s “Healthy SNAP” program, which took effect Jan. 1 and bars recipients from using the funds for certain grocery items, including soda and sweets.

Multiple nutrition access advocates urged lawmakers to remove the waiver codification, expressing concern that it could lead to Iowa missing out on federal nutrition program funding if the state’s program restrictions fail to align with plans of future administrations in Washington.

The bill would grant future Iowa Department of Health and Human Services directors authority over which nutrition program restrictions the state would follow.

Luke Elzinga with the Iowa Hunger Coalition said allowing one person in HHS to have authority over future nutrition program restrictions would create a lack of oversight and could complicate whether Iowa could participate in federal programs like SNAP and Summer EBT if the waiver is not approved.

“If the USDA doesn't go along with it, this bill threatens to pull the state out of SNAP and Summer EBT altogether,” Elzinga said.

Paige Chickering, representing Save the Children Action Network of Iowa, recommended the state conduct a study on the impact that feeding program restrictions have on the nutrition and health of Iowans before codifying the waiver.

Dustin Miller with the Iowa Grocery Industry Association said the state’s implementation of its SNAP waiver in January is going smoother by differentiating between taxable and non-taxable items, compared to similar waivers in other states.

“If you talk to our retailers who are implementing these in other states, we are in the enviable position because of that clarity,” Miller said.

Marc Craig, of Des Moines, who participates in the EBT program, said the recently implemented waiver restrictions have made navigating the grocery store aisles and accessing program-eligible food significantly more difficult.

“I can go to Walmart and get a sub that has a mayo, mustard packet, but I can't buy a ham and cheese at Hy-Vee,” Craig said. “When I get into a grocery store, I want to get in, get out, because of the noise. A five-minute trip has turned into an hour looking at every ingredient on everything."

Allowing ivermectin to be dispensed over the counter

Another section of Reynolds’ bill would allow pharmacists to dispense ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug most popularly used to treat worm infections like lice and intestinal worms in humans and animals, over the counter.

The drug grew in popularity in 2020 when some used it to treat COVID-19. Since then, a slate of other states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas, have allowed it to be sold over-the-counter, arguing it enhances medical freedom.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals. It also has been determined that the drug is not effective in treating COVID-19.

In January, Republican Iowa House lawmakers advanced a bill out of a subcommittee that would require pharmacists to dispense ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine regardless of whether an individual has a prescription.

During the January subcommittee, multiple medical professionals and medical advocacy groups warned that dispensing the drugs to individuals without a prescription could lead to adverse effects, noting that both come with multiple side effects that other over-the-counter medications do not cause.

On Thursday, Baeth, who also is a physician, called the bill’s ivermectin section “misguided.”

“It's a very serious bill to help make Iowa healthier, and I'm not sure what ivermectin has to do with it,” Baeth said. “That particular division, which makes ivermectin over-the-counter, kind of reduces the seriousness of this bill, because there is no FDA-approved reason for ivermectin unless you have parasites.”

Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley told reporters on Friday that the Republican caucus still is looking over the full bill, but added that there would be a “level of support within” the caucus for the ivermectin section of the bill.

Tobacco, hemp, and vape product tax moved to a different bill

Harris, who chairs the Iowa House Health and Human Services Committee, told subcommittee attendees Thursday that he plans to strip out portions of the bill implementing taxes on tobacco, consumable hemp, and vape products during a committee meeting next week.

He added that there is already another House bill imposing a similar tax on the products that will be considered by the House Ways and Means Committee.

Reynolds announced her proposed tax on tobacco products during a Feb. 5 press conference focused on addressing Iowa’s rising cancer rates.

An annual report conducted by the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health showed that lung cancer is particularly problematic, according to some of the preliminary data.

Reynolds' bill would also:

Gazette Des Moines Bureau Chief Erin Murphy contributed to this report.