Menstrual Equity For All Act of 2023

Bill: 118-hr-3646
Sponsor: Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6]
Introduced: 2023-05-24 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Appropriations
Community life and organization
Congressional oversight
Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Detention of persons
Elementary and secondary education
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government information and archives
Higher education
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Medicaid
Performance measurement
Poverty and welfare assistance
Sales and excise taxes
Sex and reproductive health
Women's health
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2023-05-24
text: 

Menstrual Equity For All Act of 2023

 
This bill expands access to menstrual products through federal programs, in certain locations, and for particular groups. It also prohibits states and localities from taxing retail sales of a range of menstrual products (e.g., sanitary napkins, tampons, and menstrual cups).
 
The bill expands access to that range of menstrual products by
 
 
requiring Medicaid to cover those products,
 
establishing a grant program in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to provide benefits to ensure access to those products, and
 
increasing Social Services Block Grant funding for providing those products to low-income individuals and exempting that increase from sequestration (a process of automatic, usually across-the-board cancellations of budgetary resources to enforce specific budget policy goals).
 
 
Additionally, the bill sets out requirements to make free sanitary napkins and tampons available in federal and state correctional facilities (including Department of Homeland Security detention facilities) and restrooms in federal buildings that are open to the public.
 
Further, the bill (1) establishes a grant program to support the provision of free sanitary napkins and tampons on campuses of institutions of higher education, and (2) permits elementary and secondary schools to use certain grants to provide sanitary napkins and tampons to students.
 
In addition, the bill requires employers with at least 100 employees to provide free sanitary napkins and tampons for employees.
 
It also permits the Emergency Food and Shelter Program to provide sanitary napkins and tampons to homeless individuals.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2024-12-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare.
action_date: 2023-05-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2023-05-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
action_date: 2023-05-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and the Budget, 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.
action_date: 2023-05-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and the Budget, 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.
action_date: 2023-05-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and the Budget, 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.
action_date: 2023-05-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and the Budget, 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.
action_date: 2023-05-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and the Budget, 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.
action_date: 2023-05-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and the Budget, 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.
action_date: 2023-05-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and the Budget, 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.
action_date: 2023-05-24
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2023-05-24
text: Introduced in House