I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3614 
To increase the availability and affordability of menstrual products for 
individuals with limited access, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 28, 2021 
Ms. MENG (for herself, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. BASS, Mrs. 
BEATTY, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. BUSH, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. 
CARSON, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. CHU, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. CLARK 
of Massachusetts, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. 
DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. DEAN, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. DELBENE, 
Ms. ESCOBAR, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. GALLEGO, Ms. GARCIA 
of Texas, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, 
Mrs. HAYES, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. KEATING, Ms. 
KELLY of Illinois, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. KILMER, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. LARSEN 
of Washington, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LEVIN of 
California, Mr. LIEU, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of 
New York, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. 
NADLER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. NEWMAN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PAPPAS, 
Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. RASKIN, 
Miss RICE of New York, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUSH, Mr. RYAN, 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. SCHRIER, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. SIRES, Mr. SMITH 
of Washington, Mr. SOTO, Ms. SPEIER, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. SUOZZI, 
Mr. TAKANO, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. 
TORRES of New York, Mr. TRONE, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. 
WELCH, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. 
VELA´ZQUEZ, and Ms. CLARKE of New York) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in 
addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Energy 
and Commerce, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
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A BILL 
To increase the availability and affordability of menstrual 
products for individuals with limited access, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Menstrual Equity For 
All Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Menstrual products are a necessity each 
month for millions of individuals across the United 
States. 
(2) More than half of the United States popu-
lation will likely menstruate every month for decades 
of their lives. 
(3) This lack of menstrual products, often 
called ‘‘period poverty’’, can adversely affect an indi-
vidual’s health and well-being. 
(4) Period poverty exacerbates the vicious cycle 
of poverty by further marginalizing individuals who 
menstruate, causing them to withdraw from daily 
life, forego pay, or miss educational opportunities. 
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(5) Period poverty existed long before the 
COVID–19 pandemic. 
(6) The COVID–19 pandemic has forced mil-
lions of individuals out of work, thereby exacerbating 
the socioeconomic and health challenges of individ-
uals facing period poverty. 
(7) Addressing period poverty is essential to en-
suring educational equity for diverse populations. 
(8) Studies have shown that 1 in 4 women and 
girls reports struggling to afford menstrual prod-
ucts. 
(9) Studies have shown that 1 in 10 college stu-
dents in the United States are affected by period 
poverty. 
(10) Period poverty disproportionately affects 
Black, Latina, immigrant, and first-generation stu-
dents at higher rates than other cohorts. 
(11) Individuals living in period poverty are 
more likely to experience depression than individuals 
with access to period products. 
(12) Period poverty can increase the risk of in-
fections due to— 
(A) the use of substitutes for menstrual 
products (such as paper towels or toilet paper); 
and 
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(B) the inability to change menstrual prod-
ucts as frequently as recommended. 
SEC. 3. MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS FOR STUDENTS AT ELE-
MENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4108(5)(C) of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7118(5)(C)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (vi), by striking ‘‘or’’ after the 
semicolon; 
(2) in clause (vii), by inserting ‘‘or’’ after the 
semicolon; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(viii) provide free menstrual products 
to students who use menstrual products;’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 4102 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7112) 
is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (6) through 
(8) as paragraphs (7) through (9), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(6) MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS.—The term ‘men-
strual products’ means sanitary napkins and tam-
pons that conform to applicable industry stand-
ards.’’. 
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