Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2019
Floor Speech
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Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, in recognition of Women's History Month and the incredible advances women have made in our nation and around the world, I rise today to introduce the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2019. This is the first comprehensive legislation that would end our nation's inequities toward women, girls, and individuals who menstruate. Menstruation hygiene items, such as pads, tampons, cups, and liners, are necessary purchases for the vast majority of women. Madam Speaker, popular culture would have one believe these products are ubiquitous and cheap. But I have heard the heartbreaking testimonies of countless girls and women from across our nation that would say otherwise. We live in the richest nation and yet millions of women and girls suffer from issues of access and affordability. This is an injustice and it is simply wrong. Most premenopausal women use menstrual hygiene products on a monthly basis and it is estimated that a woman will use up to 16,000 tampons in her lifetime. Regardless of income, women spend a significant amount of money on purchasing menstruation hygiene products each year. Beyond being cost-prohibitive, different populations of women and girls face unique challenges in accessing menstrual hygiene products. The Menstrual Equity for All Act aims to address these challenges by: Giving states the option to use federal grant funds to provide students with free menstrual hygiene products in schools--these grants already provide funding for health and wellness efforts; Ensuring that incarcerated individuals and detainees in federal (including immigration detention centers), state, and local facilities have access to free, unrationed, menstrual hygiene products; Ensuring that no visitor is prohibited from visiting an incarcerated individual due to the visitor's use of menstrual hygiene products; Allowing homeless assistance providers to use grant funds that cover shelter necessities (such as blankets and toothbrushes) to also use those funds to purchase menstrual hygiene products; Allowing individuals to use their own pre-tax dollars from their health flexible spending accounts to purchase menstrual hygiene products; Requiring that Medicaid covers the cost of menstrual hygiene products for recipients; Directing large employers (with 100 or more employees) to provide free menstrual hygiene products for their employees in the workplace; and Requiring all public federal buildings, including buildings on the Capitol campus, provide free menstrual hygiene products in the restrooms. Madam Speaker, every woman deserves to succeed and advancing menstrual equity is critical to achieving this goal. I urge my colleagues to support my legislation. Access to safe, affordable menstrual hygiene products is a basic need and a health care right for over half the population; it is a human right.
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