The D.C. Council unanimously passed a bill earlier this week.
On Tuesday, the D.C. Council unanimously passed a bill that requires all D.C. schools and colleges to provide free menstrual products (i.e., tampons, pads) in women's and gender-neutral bathrooms. It's called the "Expanding Student Access to Period Products Act of 2021."
In addition, the bill also requires D.C. Public Schools to implement a menstrual health curriculum for students starting in fourth grade.
"Young women, girls, transgender, and gender non-conforming students need access to free menstrual products," Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto said in a statement. "We have seen the associated costs and burdens of accessing these products fall disproportionately on young women of color and low-income families."
Across the country, 35 states collectively make more than $150 million annually in sales tax from menstrual products, reports The New York Times.
The District had removed its tampon and diaper tax in 2016. Meanwhile, in Maryland, menstrual products are considered medical products; and in 2019, the tampon tax was lowered in Virginia. There was even an attempt in 2020 to eliminate it completely in Virginia, but the bill failed the committee.
Read the full Expanding Student Access to Period Products Act of 2021.
What do you think of this new bill regarding free menstrual products? Share your thoughts in the comments below.