| Dear Katy, Periods should not hold anyone back, period. Yet tampons and pads are still out of reach for many people in the United States. Cost and availability are the biggest barrier. We have an opportunity to change that. Rep. Grace Meng just introduced legislation that would expand access to menstrual products nationwide. The Menstrual Equity Act leverages federal law to make sure all people have access to the products they need to manage their periods.1 Speak out now to demand that Congress support this bill. Tell Congress: Tampons and pads are necessities for more than half of the United States population. Pass legislation to expand access now. Click here to sign the petition. Menstrual equity is about making sure we all have the ability to take care of our health and bodies – to fully participate in school, work and our society as a whole. It's about fostering educational opportunity, ensuring economic fairness and achieving gender parity. Last year, Nevada became the 10th state to exempt menstrual products from sales tax.2 Many municipalities have also passed similar legislation, as well as policies that expand access in schools and correctional facilities. The Menstrual Equity Act would take away even more barriers to access. It would:3 - Enable states to use federal grant funds to provide students nationwide with menstrual products in schools;
- Ensure that those incarcerated in federal, state and local facilities, including immigration detention centers, have access to pads and tampons;
- Allow homeless assistance providers to use grant funds for shelter necessities to purchase menstrual products;
- Require Medicaid to cover the cost of menstrual products;
- Let individuals to use their own pre-tax dollars from flexible spending accounts to purchase menstrual products;
- Direct employers at business with 100 or more employees to provide menstrual products in workplace restrooms; and
- Mandate that all public federal buildings, including buildings on the Capitol campus, provide menstrual products in the restrooms.
Passing federal legislation that destigmatizes menstruation and makes basic health care products more available to everyone would move the fight for gender equity one huge step forward. That's why we're teaming up with our friends at Period Equity4 to make sure Congress passes this important bill. Tell Congress: Tampons and pads are necessities for more than half of the United States population. Pass legislation to expand access now. Click the link below to sign the petition. https://act.credoaction.com/sign/menstrual-equality-act?t=9&akid=32177%2E12967895%2E3LE7jC Thanks for speaking out, Nicole Regalado, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: - Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, "Congress Must Seize This Menstrual Equity Moment," Ms. Magazine, March 26, 2019.
- Maya Salam, "Goodbye, Tampon Tax (at Least for Some)," The New York Times, Nov. 9, 2018.
- Katherine Tully-McManus, "This Democrat wants free tampons and pads available in all federal buildings," Roll Call, March 26, 2019.
- "Period Equity," accessed April 4, 2019.
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