IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 406 

Supporting the goals and ideals of Menstrual Hygiene Day. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 23, 2019 

Ms. MENG (for herself, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Ms. NORTON, Mr. ROUDA, Ms. MOORE, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. TITUS, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. OMAR, Mrs. CAROLYN

B. MALONEY of New York, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY

of New York, and Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and 

in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to 

be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of Menstrual Hygiene Day. 

Whereas, since 2013, Menstrual Hygiene Day is annually 

commemorated on May 28 to raise awareness and catalyze political action around the challenges menstruating 

women and girls around the world face; 

Whereas the Joint Monitoring Programme of the World 

Health Organization and UNICEF defines menstrual hygiene management as when ‘‘women and adolescent girls 

are using a clean menstrual management material to absorb or collect menstrual blood, that can be changed in 


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•HRES 406 IH 

privacy as often as necessary for the duration of a menstrual period, using soap and water for washing the body 

as required, and having access to safe and convenient facilities to dispose of used menstrual management materials’’; 

Whereas 500,000,000 women and girls around the world lack 

adequate facilities for menstrual health and hygiene management; 

Whereas cultural stigma and lack of access to menstrual 

health and hygiene education, sanitation, and infrastructure can limit access to schools, jobs, and religious activities; 

Whereas, around the world, 1 in 3 girls have access to inadequate toilets, and many others face social and cultural 

restrictions when they have their periods; 

Whereas displaced women and adolescent girls, whether by 

conflict, climate, or natural disaster, face significant barriers to managing monthly menstruation in a safe, private, and dignified manner; 

Whereas failing to provide disposal facilities for used sanitary 

pads or cloths can result in a significant solid waste 

issue, causing blockage of latrines and pits; 

Whereas 25,000,000 women in the United States live at or 

below the poverty line, often without consistent access to 

menstrual hygiene products; 

Whereas a survey of low-income women in a large United 

States city published in January 2019 found that nearly 

two-thirds couldn’t afford menstrual hygiene products 

during the previous year; 

Whereas estimates reveal that a woman may spend over 

$1,700 in her lifetime on tampons, a figure that is multiVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:35 May 25, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR406.IH HR406

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plied for women who also support children who are menstruating; 

Whereas incarcerated women have illustrated that their dignity has been compromised as they seek to access menstrual hygiene products; and 

Whereas, in the United States, a school’s failure to provide 

a supportive environment for menstruating students can 

have negative consequences: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the need to break the silence, 

3 raise awareness, and change negative social norms 

4 surrounding menstrual hygiene around the world; 

5 (2) recognizes the need for increased research 

6 on access to menstrual health management both in 

7 the United States and around the world; 

8 (3) recognizes the barriers that vulnerable pop9 ulations face to access menstrual hygiene manage10 ment products, including in schools, employment fa11 cilities, prisons, homeless shelters, after natural dis12 asters, and in refugee camps; 

13 (4) encourages the Administrator of the United 

14 States Agency for International Development to in15 tegrate menstrual hygiene services in settings includ16 ing conflict, natural disaster response, refugee and 

17 internally displaced persons response, and in devel18 opment activities in low-income countries; 


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1 (5) urges policymakers and decisionmakers to 

2 enact laws to comprehensively address the challenges 

3 menstruating women and girls face in the United 

4 States and around the world; and 

5 (6) encourages the people of the United States 

6 to observe Menstrual Hygiene Day. 

Æ 


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