Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) announced that she reintroduced her Menstrual Equity for All Act, which she claims is a whole-of-government approach to eradicating period poverty and improving access to menstrual products.

Rep. Meng arguest that menstruation is a natural part of life for roughly half of the world’s population at one point or another. Yet, today, millions of people in the United States continue to experience period poverty. In fact, one in three American adults who menstruate report struggling to afford menstrual products, and one-third have missed school or work because they could not access these products. An estimated 86% of people who menstruate use tampons, up to 72% use pads, and 75% use panty liners. Most of them use these products on a monthly basis. It is estimated that an individual will spend over $6,000 on menstrual products in their lifetime. 

“Period products are essential for millions of people who menstruate,” said Congresswoman Meng. “Access to these products is not only a health care right, but also a human right. It is unacceptable that they are still out of reach for more than half the population. This legislation takes critical steps toward ending period poverty by expanding access to menstrual products for individuals across a range of populations, such as in schools and universities, workplaces, and correctional and detention facilities, and through existing federal programs like the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Social Services Block Grants. Without it, women, girls, and menstruators will continue to miss out on educational and career opportunities simply because they cannot afford period products. We must keep fighting for them.” -- Rep. Meng.

Specifically, Meng’s Menstrual Equity for All Act would:

• Give states the option to use federal grant funds to provide students in elementary and secondary schools with free menstrual products;
• Incentivize institutions of higher education to create pilot programs that provide free menstrual products to students;
• Ensure incarcerated individuals and detainees in federal, state, and local facilities (including immigration detention centers), have access to free menstrual products;
• Allow homeless assistance providers to use grant funds that cover shelter necessities (such as blankets and toothbrushes) to also use those funds to purchase menstrual products;
• Require Medicaid to cover the cost of menstrual products;
• Direct large employers (with 100 or more employees) to provide free menstrual products for their employees in the workplace;
• Require all public federal buildings to provide free menstrual products in the restrooms;
• Provide states and localities with funds through the Social Services Block Grant program to support free menstrual products programs;
• Eliminate the federal sales tax on period products; and
• Create a pilot program within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to help families in need access menstrual products.

Should Congress pass H.R.3644, the Menstrual Equity For All Act?