Gov. Greg Abbott, alongside Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ceremonially signed legislation on Wednesday to “Make Texas Healthier.”
Measures signed by Abbott during the ceremonial bill signing included Senate Bill 25, Senate Bill 314, and Senate Bill 379. Abbott and Kennedy touted the legislation as a step towards leading the rest of the nation in the Make America Healthy Again movement.
“This is one of the most prolific bipartisan pieces of legislation that was passed this session,” said Abbott. “Doesn’t matter if you’re Democrat, Republican, whatever the case may be, every legislator in Texas wants to see Texas be put on a pathway to be healthier, and these laws that I’m signing today chart that pathway.”
Abbott thanked Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, and the entire legislature for their work in passing the measures, and Kennedy, who paved the way for Texas to take the issue seriously.
“There was a reason why the pathway opened up for Texas to even be able to go down this road, and that’s because of the effort that Secretary Kennedy began before he was Secretary—to galvanize an entire country, to galvanize [the] entire globe about the necessity of everybody living healthier lives.”
When Kennedy ended his presidential run and endorsed President Donald Trump, his MAHA movement was adopted as part of the MAGA (Make America Great Again) campaign.
SB 25, the Make Texas Healthy Again Act by State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R–Brenham), protects time for physical activity for children, requires nutrition to be taught in all primary, secondary, and medical schools, creates a Texas Nutrition Advisory Board, and requires food manufacturers to include clear warning labels on products containing certain additives.
Authored by State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R–Mineola), SB 314 will prohibit certain food additives from being used in schools’ free or reduced price food programs. If a school is non-compliant, it will not be given funding from state food programs.
The last piece of legislation signed by the governor was SB 379, authored by State Sen. Mayes Middleton, which prohibits the purchase of sweetened drinks and candy under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“You’re not only making Texas healthy again, you’re making America healthy,” said Kennedy. “I want to thank Texas, the governor, and all these legislators for not only making time for the students of the Lone Star State, but also [for] what you’ve done for all the people around our country who are going to benefit from this legislation.”
All three measures will take effect on September 1.
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