In 2021, two in five people struggled to purchase period products, an increase of 35% from 2018. Individuals that cannot afford period products can be found using newspapers, rags, and socks instead of pads, pantiliners, or tampons, leading to health problems. Further, period poverty disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx communities: nearly a quarter of menstruating individuals within these communities struggled to afford period products in 2021.
 
It is for these reasons we plan to introduce legislation that would require our Department of Human Services to apply to the federal government if a waiver is made available to states to allow those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to use the two programs for menstrual hygiene products. Currently, these programs do not allow for the purchase of menstrual hygiene products, despite being a necessity.
 
Moreover, our other bill would create a grant program to provide eligible public-school entities with funding to acquire and distribute menstrual hygiene products at no expense to students.
 
People who menstruate should not have to miss work, school, or other life events due to not having access to period products. More than half of the world’s population are menstruating individuals and it is time that period poverty comes to the forefront of discussion.
 
Please consider joining Representative Hill-Evans and I in co-sponsoring this much needed legislation and provide individuals with accessibility to a necessity, period products, for whenever they may be in need.
 

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 0826: P.L.31, No.21
Printer's No. 1691: P.L.31, No.21
Printer's No. 3485: P.L.31, No.21