SECRETARY KENNEDY, GOV. ABBOTT JOIN SEN. KOLKHORST TO SIGN HEALTH LEGISLATION
Health and nutrition legislation written by State Senator Lois Kolkhorst was ceremonially signed on Wednesday by Governor Greg Abbott and praised by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
left) and Governor Greg Abbott (front row, center)
were joined in Austin on Wednesday by U.S.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F.
Kennedy Jr. (front row, third from left) for the
ceremonial signing of Kolkhorst's "Make Texas
Healthy Again" legislation.
(courtesy Office of Lois Kolkhorst)
Senate Bill 25 creates stricter food labeling requirements, mandating that warning labels be added to products that contain artificial additives, dyes or chemicals which are not allowed in Australia, Canada, the European Union or the United Kingdom. The bill also adds nutrition education for medical and nursing students while preventing students from being restricted from participating in recess or physical education classes due to academic performance or behavior.
Kolkhorst, who serves as the chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, stated that the United States spends more on healthcare than any other nation in the world, but the country’s life expectancy ranks last among the G7 nations. She said, “With SB 25, Texas is a national leader in Secretary Kennedy’s effort to Make America Healthy Again. We all sense that our healthcare system is deeply flawed, and SB 25 is a good first step in the battle to end the chronic health problems facing our state and nation.”
Kennedy said he commends the state’s legislators for “coming together across party lines”, adding, “Texas has chosen a bold new course for public health—one I urge other states to follow.”
Following the signing of SB 25, Abbott also signed Senate Bill 379, which bans the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for sweetened drinks and candy, and Senate Bill 314, which prohibits schools from serving foods with certain additives as part of free or reduced-price meals.
Abbott said, “Every legislator in Texas wants to see Texas be put on a pathway to be healthier. These bills that I am signing today put Texas on that pathway.”