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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION continuing the Make America Healthy Again 1
Kentucky Task Force to explore ways to integrate the principles of the Make America 2
Healthy Again movement to improve health outcomes of Kentuckians. 3
WHEREAS, improving public health and reducing the prevalence of chronic 4
diseases are critical to the health and well -being of Kentucky citizens and to the state's 5
prosperity; and 6
WHEREAS, the Make Ameri ca Healthy Again (MAHA) movement promotes 7
health freedom by allowing individuals to make informed choices about their health care; 8
and 9
WHEREAS, the MAHA movement supports reducing the prevalence of chronic 10
diseases by improving lifestyle and dietary choices; and 11
WHEREAS, there is strong evidence that poor diet and lack of exercise contribute 12
to the high rates of chronic diseases in Kentucky; and 13
WHEREAS, approximately 74 percent of adults in the United States are overweight 14
or obese; and 15
WHEREAS, Kentucky has one of the highest adult obesity rates compared to other 16
states, with approximately 30 percent of adults classified as obese; and 17
WHEREAS, Kentucky has a childhood obesity rate of approximately 20 percent for 18
children between the ages of 10 and 17 years old; and 19
WHEREAS, in 2023, the leading cause of death in Kentucky was heart disease, 20
with an age-adjusted death rate of 197.1 per 100,000 residents, and as much as 80 percent 21
of heart disease and stroke is preventable with lifestyle changes; and 22
WHEREAS, the MAHA m ovement advocates for increasing public access to 23
nutritious and unprocessed foods to promote a diet that supports good health; and 24
WHEREAS, the MAHA movement advocates for minimizing population exposure 25
to environmental toxins and pollutants that contribu te to respiratory diseases, heart 26
disease, and other chronic conditions; and 27
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WHEREAS, the MAHA movement calls for transparent, science -based health 1
policies and recommendations that are in the best interest of the public and are free from 2
undue corporate influence; 3
NOW, THEREFORE, 4
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 5
Kentucky, the House of Representatives concurring therein: 6
Section 1. The General Assembly supports the goals of the Make America 7
Healthy Again movement, and in doing so: 8
(1) Supports policies that increase access to clean, whole foods across Kentucky 9
to enhance nutrition and reduce diet-related diseases; 10
(2) Encourages access to local, fresh produce in schools, communities, and 11
markets through initiatives like farmers' markets and farm-to-school programs; 12
(3) Encourages public health efforts to educate Kentuckians on healthy living, 13
good nutrition, and chronic disease prevention; 14
(4) Urges state and local health agencies to collaborate with schools and 15
community organizations to expand public health programs that focus on empowering 16
individuals and families with knowledge on how to manage their own health through 17
good nutrition, regular physical activity, and avoidance of harmful substances; 18
(5) Urges legislative and regulatory updates to align agricultural and health 19
policies, including: 20
(a) Creating incentives for the production and consumption of nutritious foods in 21
Kentucky; 22
(b) Encouraging Kentuckians to make healthy food choices, including reducing 23
reliance on highly processed, high sugar products, through education and policy 24
incentives; and 25
(c) Addressing environmental health risks to improve overall public health 26
outcomes; 27
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(6) Recognizes the role of immunity as a factor in public health policy alongside 1
other preventive measures; and 2
(7) Encourages state health officials to consider evidence of immunity from prior 3
illness as part of broader health guidelines and emergency response plans. 4
Section 2. (1) The Legislative Research Commission shall establish the 5
Make America Healthy Again Kentucky Task Force. 6
(2) The duties of the task force shall include but are not limited to: 7
(a) Exploring ways that Kentucky can integrate the MAHA movement principles 8
into state laws, policies, and programs to improve the overall health of Kentuckians, 9
including the "Take Back Your Health" and "Eat Real Food" initiatives; 10
(b) Reviewing strategies that Kentucky may use to improve health outcomes 11
through: 12
1. Encouraging dietary and lifestyle changes; 13
2. Expanding public awareness efforts on healthy nutrition and lifestyles; 14
3. Reducing public exposure to environmental toxins; and 15
4. Increasing public awareness and input into state health policies; and 16
(c) Building on recommendations from the 2025 Make America Healthy Again 17
Kentucky Task Force relating to: 18
1. Healthy food initiatives including: 19
a. The Food is Medicine collaboration of the Kentucky Departme nt of 20
Agriculture and the Kentucky Hospital Association; 21
b. The purchase of healthy foods with Supplemental Nutritional Assistance 22
Program (SNAP) dollars and the connections between SNAP and the Medicaid program; 23
c. Improvement of healthy meals and nutrition education in schools; and 24
d. Increased access to foods that are not ultra-processed; 25
2. Physical health and wellness including: 26
a. Strengthening of school physical education requirements; 27
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b. Improving local school wellness policies; and 1
c. Strengthening efforts to improve the overall health of Kentuckians; and 2
3. Functional medicine including: 3
a. Increasing health care provider education on integrating nutrition and diet 4
strategies for improving health outcomes for chronic disease; 5
b. Improving health insurance coverage of functional medicine programs; and 6
c. Encouraging the integration of functional medicine principles in preventative 7
health initiatives. 8
Section 3. The Make America Healthy Again Kentucky Task Force shall be 9
composed of the following members with final membershi p of the task force being 10
subject to the consideration and approval of the Legislative Research Commission: 11
(1) Three members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of 12
the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be designated by the S peaker of the 13
House of Representatives as a co-chair of the task force; 14
(2) Three members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, one of 15
whom shall be designated by the President of the Senate as a co-chair of the task force; 16
(3) One member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Minority Floor 17
Leader of the House; and 18
(4) One member of the Senate appointed by the Minority Floor Leader of the 19
Senate. 20
Section 4. The Make America Healthy Again Kentu cky Task Force shall at a 21
minimum meet monthly during the 2026 Interim of the General Assembly and shall 22
submit recommendations to the Governor and to the Legislative Research Commission 23
for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children by December 1, 24
2026. 25
Section 5. Provisions of this Resolution to the contrary notwithstanding, the 26
Legislative Research Commission shall have the authority to alternatively assign the 27
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issues identified herein to an inter im joint committee or subcommittee thereof, and to 1
designate a study completion date. 2
Section 6. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 3
Resolution to the Governor, each member of Kentucky’s Congre ssional delegation, and 4
the secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the Commissioner of the 5
Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and the commissioner of the Kentucky Department 6
of Education, for review and consideration in advancing the goa ls of the Make America 7
Healthy Again movement to make Kentucky healthy again. 8