Georgia STOMP Updates

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Call Your School Nurse: State DOE Approves Distribution of $1M for Menstrual Products

On Thursday, August 22nd, the State Board of Education approved the Department of Education’s proposal for distributing the $1M budget expenditure authorized by the legislature in the 2019 Session!

According to Board Documents, 

these grant funds were provided in the Georgia Department of Education Agency budget as a line item for fiscal year 2020 to provide feminine hygiene products to low-income students. 

TO US, THAT ONE SENTENCE IS THE CULMINATION OF TWO YEARS OF ADVOCACY WORK AND IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF WHAT IS NEEDED!

A glance at the chart showing the Grant Allocations quickly reveals that allocated amounts seem low, given that some systems received as little as $50.00.  Nevertheless, Georgia is a national menstrual equity leader, by allocating any money at all towards this need.  

It is now a role of the Georgia STOMP coalition to get the message to as many school nurses as possible. They need to know that this money exists and they should contact their Superintendent to find out how it will be allocated in their district!

According to Board documents, again, “An end of year survey will be conducted” to ensure satisfactory performance and “accounting codes for this budget item will be tracked in GAORS.”  The performance measurements will be “based on distribution of products and percentage of product remaining at the end of the school year.”

If the information we have collected is correct, that amount should be NONE if school nurses actually know this money exists!

Call your local school nurse today and let them know to ask their Superintendent for the money!

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Menstrual Equity for All Act and How it Relates to Georgia

It’s estimated that up to 86% of women use tampons, up to 72% use pads, and 75% use panty liners. 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. 

That’s the language Representative Grace Meng (D-NY-6) uses to invite her colleagues and advocates to join her in the fight for menstrual equity. At the end of March, she introduced House Resolution 1882. Georgia’s own Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA-4) is one of the 43 cosponsors to date. With the stated goal “to increase the availability and affordability of menstrual hygiene products for individuals with limited access, and for other purposes,” the bill is ambitious.

Its text addresses a few of the pillars that make up Georgia STOMP’s primary work:

  1. Giving states the option to use federal grant funds to provide students with free menstrual hygiene products in schools;
  2. Ensuring that inmates and detainees incarcerated in federal (including immigration detention centers), state, and local facilitates have access to free menstrual hygiene products;
  3. 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;
  4. Allowing individuals to use their own pre-tax dollars from their health flexible spending accounts to purchase menstrual hygiene products;
  5. Requiring that Medicaid covers the cost of menstrual hygiene products for recipients;
  6. Directing large employers (with 100 or more employees) to provide free menstrual hygiene products for their employees in the workplace; and
  7. Requiring all public federal buildings, including buildings on the Capitol campus, provide free menstrual hygiene products in the restrooms.

Helen Beaudreau, Legislative Director for Meng’s office, states that the goal of the legislation is to address the multifaceted issue of menstrual equity under a single banner. “(Rep. Meng) wants to make sure that affordability and accessibility is achieved across all communities in need.”

If you’ve been following along with our work, you’ll know that our coalition has been fortunate to have successes in working with statewide departments to achieve similar goals.

  1. We championed access to period products for students, and will be at the table with the Department of Education as they develop the grant process to distribute the $1 million added to the budget this year for low income schools to provide free menstrual products to their students.
  2. We’ve established a relationship with the Department of Corrections, and are grateful to have Commissioner Tim Ward supporting unlimited free menstrual product access in state-run prisons, but still have work to do in regards to menstrual product access in local, county and juvenile detention centers.
  3. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) has been a wonderful advocate, improving access to menstrual products for those experiencing situational poverty following an emergency or disaster. Director Homer Bryson swiftly made administrative changes to include menstrual products in the list of basic needs supplies that shelters receiving GEMA funds can purchase with that money. They continue to work to ensure that supply chain logistics are in place so that those who experience homelessness, like our fellow Georgians have after Hurricane Michael, will receive the assistance they need in the short AND long term. Director Bryson recently met with coalition partner, Helping Mamas, to discuss supply chain issues.

We are excited to see the other areas that Rep. Meng and HR 1882’s cosponsors will be addressing with this bill. One of the arguments used against House Bill 8 this year was that not all federal institutions account for the fact that menstrual products are an essential purchase in order for women to participate in society and their education.

We are hopeful that HR 1882’s addition to the menstrual equity conversation helps show employers and federal institutions alike that menstrual product access is a great investment. Perhaps it will help our lawmakers understand the same thing in Georgia.

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#HB8 Hearing Recap and Steps Forward

To date, the work of the Georgia STOMP coalition has focused on 4 pillars, most of which address period poverty and product access in some form — tax elimination, access for school age girls unable to afford products, access in times of situational poverty following a natural disaster and access to those detained in state prisons.

Yesterday, HB8 was heard before the Sales Tax subcommittee. This bill strictly addresses an equity issue – the tax is unfair and should be eliminated on the grounds that women should not support the state budget to the tune of $9M each year on something about which we have no choice.

At yesterday’s hearing, coalition members walked away feeling a combination of emotions: frustration and hopefulness.

First: Frustration. The equity conversation was not heard. Questions from the committee’s chair focused on the minimal savings to an individual the tax elimination would generate, conflating the fairness issue with period poverty and ignoring the larger issue of women paying a discriminatory tax while being economically disadvantaged in our state.

Instead of focusing on the menstrual equity conversation, the subcommittee came to the table ready to talk about ways to address period poverty. That is where coalition members began to feel great hope for the outcome of this meeting!

Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones outlined how the work of the Georgia STOMP coalition and Representative Buckner brought to her attention how challenging it is for those with limited means to purchase menstrual products, making it difficult for them to participate in school, work, and society.

Jones reported to the subcommittee that $500,000 was added to the House budget for feminine hygiene product grants for schools serving low-income students, and her plan to focus those grants on schools with a high percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunch, and in geographic areas with low property values. $500,000 has also been added to the House budget for funding for the Department of Public Health (DPH). We are not clear yet in regards to how the DPH funds will be distributed, just that it will go to “provide funds for feminine hygiene products to be provided to low-income clients at county health departments.” The administration of both of these “pots of money” will be a coalition focus in coming weeks.

As representative of House leadership, Jones made it clear that the House is asking for matching funds from the Senate, which means IF those line items stay in the budget, there will be $2 million going towards menstrual hygiene product access for Georgians in need!

$2 million could put 8 million menstrual hygiene products in the hands of Georgians who desperately need them to participate fully in society, school, and the workforce!

That is not the win we were looking for in the HB8 hearing. We are highly disappointed that the leadership in our state does not yet understand that the tax on menstrual products is discriminatory and should be eliminated on that basis, alone. BUT, the fact that the most powerful woman in the State House is acknowledging the existence of, and seeking to address, #periodpoverty in Georgia, is a huge step forward in the overall progress of our work. As one coalition member said, “The winners: low income girls and women! Sounds awesome to me!”

Because of the proximity of crossover day, Georgia STOMP does not plan to push HB8 forward in this session. This is the first year of the two year term, so it remains a viable bill into next year’s session, and we believe is a bill that CAN be passed in Georgia.

The advancement of menstrual equity issues in Georgia over the last year as a result of Georgia STOMP’s inquiries and work cannot be overstated.

  • Period products added to GEMA’s list of basic needs
  • Period products readily available to detainees in Georgia Department of Correction facilities
  • A highly anticipated addition of significant state funds to directly provide products to school girls and those utilizing our public health systems
  • Conversations at the highest levels of our state government about Period Poverty!

We will keep you posted as we are able to make connections with Speaker Pro Tempore Jones and move forward with already-planned discussions with the DOE.

Claire Cox + Adele Stewart
Co-Leads, Georgia STOMP

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Period Poverty: An Old Stigma With New Awareness

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Today’s blog was written by Bridgette Watson, Board Member of the

Homeless Period Project.

 

Period Poverty. Maybe you have recently heard this term that is gaining national attention. For many readers, this is the first time they are hearing this term. So what exactly does period poverty mean? In short, period poverty refers to a lack of access to feminine hygiene products due to financial constraints. In a recent survey by Always*, “nearly one in 5 American girls and one in seven Canadian girls have either left school early or missed school entirely because they did not have access to period products.” These are just our school-aged girls. This does not account for the number of women living in poverty who are also affected by this monthly. Poverty affects women in the U.S at an alarming rate. According to a report from Shriver, roughly 42 million women live in or close to poverty. Yet most programs designed to help low-income families, including Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC, exclude menstrual products, even though the FDA considers them “medical products.”  There are many areas in which period poverty is prevalent in our society. In the workplace, in our schools, with women facing homelessness, our women who are incarcerated, to just name a few. This is why the term Period Poverty is so important. It is a healthcare crisis that has for years flown under the radar. There has long been a stigma around female menstruation, and that is something that The Homeless Period Project and many other advocacy groups who are fighting period poverty are trying to educate the public on and erase.

You may also be asking yourself, “Is this really an issue in OUR community?” More than likely, yes. Period poverty affects someone in your own community. In Greenville, South Carolina, we were shocked to learn of the dire need for feminine products.

What started out as a small mission to provide products to our homeless community, leading to to calls from all across the county that stretched from shelters, to free medical clinics, to our school nurses calling in desperate need for products.  Since 2015, we have been able to provide over 230,000 period packs. So yes, the need is GREAT!

What can you do to help those fighting period poverty? Help spread the word! Lack of awareness is one of our biggest hurdles. Find out if there is a local coalition working to help spread awareness about period poverty in your community, and if so, send them a quick email asking how you can help!

Also, become aware of how your state taxes period products. Every state is different. You may be lucky enough to live in a state in which the tax has been removed (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon do not have a sales tax), and as of November 2018, ten states specifically exempted essential hygiene products (Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, and Pennsylvania). If you live in a state in which period products are taxed, find out if your local coalition is working on a project to help remove that tax, and if not, there is no better person to start that fight than you!

We in SC are in the process of starting that fight for the removal of the 6% tax on period products. Even in our state, during tax free weekend, period products are still NOT exempt under the current law! We know it may be an uphill battle that will take some time, but we are committed to fighting the fight and helping our women and girls get relief at the checkout when it comes to purchasing these items. We know for many, a $5-$6 box of tampons or pads is also the price of milk or another necessity they are having to choose between.  

For us, this is not just a social issue. We are working to bring dignity back to those who have long struggled with the stigma surrounding their periods. This is a fight we plan to be a part of for the long haul. We hope you will join us!

 

Bridgette Watson

The Homeless Period Project

www.homelessperiodproject.org

Follow along on Facebook or Instagram

PS: The Homeless PERIOD Project is excited to announce we are a part of a documentary series, Breaking the Cycle: Menstrual Taboos, Myths and Reality.  The director, Nancy Durrell McKenna, is the founder and director of SafeHands for Mothers and the film was produced by Deborah Bayer Marlow of MarlowFilms (http://www.marlowfilm.dk). The objective of the film is to hear the voices of individuals from 7 different countries (girls, boys, men and women) from varying cultures, addressing a different aspect of the challenges surrounding menstruation in their culture or experience. Through their stories viewers will be made aware of the taboos, cultural issues and/or celebrations around menstruation that have an effect on lives around the world.

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Menstrual Monday: How to Talk About #PeriodPoverty

As you might have seen, HB-8 has been pre-filed in the state legislature! As we all prepare for session to begin this month, we are getting our ducks in a row and making sure our local representatives know the issues we are monitoring. Sometimes, there is a full county meeting to speak with them, and sometimes there’s 60 seconds in an elevator.

So how does one prepare to talk about period poverty when time is of the essence and the topic can be uncomfortable to broach? Here’s our recommended 60-second pitch. Try it out in the mirror, on your friends, on your dog, or on your OB-GYN. Whatever you do, make yourself comfortable with the language – and feel free to send us your questions!

We believe that a general lack of understanding about women’s menstrual needs has led to inequity not just in our tax base, but in institutions and public spaces across the state.

To address this inequity, we:

  • are requesting that the legislature commission a pilot project related to period poverty and its effects on education of women in our state’s public schools.
  • are working with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to have menstrual products added to their list of basic necessities grant funds can be used to purchase, aligning our state’s agency rules with FEMA.
  • are researching and preparing for action related to menstrual products available in prisons.
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The Indigo Girls Rep Georgia STOMP!

L->R Claire Cox, Amy Ray, Emily Saliers, Adele Stewart
L->R Claire Cox, Amy Ray, Emily Saliers, Adele Stewart

On January 3rd, Claire Cox and Adele Stewart were ecstatic to attend a benefit concert given by The Indigo Girls in support of the elimination of period poverty. The phenomenal folk rock duo was connected to the work by Mara Davis, a well known media personality in Atlanta. Mara hosted the concert that benefited the hugely impactful Homeless Period Project (HPP).  HPP, based in Greenville, SC is expanding to the Atlanta area. The benefit supported that work, providing funds for period packs to be delivered to local schools and homeless shelters. 

Sharron Champion, Executive Director of HPP, invited Claire and Adele to attend the concert as her guests, and provided the opportunity for them to meet with Amy, Emily and Mara, to connect the Indigo Girls and Mara to the advocacy work already underway in Georgia. 

On the following day, HPP hosted a meeting at the Junior League of Atlanta Headquarters with arguably, the leading voice for menstrual equity, Jennifer Weiss Wolf.  Jennifer coined the term “menstrual equity,” when she published one of the first  “handbooks” on the subject — Periods Gone Public: Taking a Stand for Menstrual Equity.

The reason Jennifer would be in Atlanta was two-fold — to discuss national strategy and learn from southern states, and, of course (!) attend the fundraiser for HPP and meet the The Indigo Girls!

The meeting was inspiring and informative, but also showed Georgia STOMP is becoming an important part of the national conversation.  Advocacy differs throughout the country and much was learned from each other!

AND…Claire and Adele were pretty psyched to have Amy Ray and Emily Saliers reppin’ Georgia STOMP pins in every one of their pictures at the concert Thursday night!

Mara Davis

Mara Davis

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf

Stephanie Arnold & Sharron Champion, Co-founders HPP

Stephanie Arnold & Sharron Champion, Co-founders HPP

Advocacy Can Be Intimidating…Period

Learning about how a bill is passed, informing yourself about menstrual equity, calling your representatives, having uncomfortable conversations with folks about period products – all of these things make up the pieces of the advocacy puzzle when it comes to the menstrual hygiene tax. Doesn’t exactly sound like a blast, we know.

What we ALSO know is how amazing it is to be part of a group of people making changes for the better, and how critical it is for us to raise our voices when something simply isn’t right. The inequitable sales tax on menstrual hygiene products is, in our opinion, one of those things.

Advocating for yourself and others is empowering, and there’s a top-of-the-mountain high when you make a great connection or get to “yes” with someone you didn’t think would support your initiative.

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” — Malala Yousafzai.

But once you decide to speak up, how can you get to that “yes”? Easy! Inform yourself, and ask questions. We all stand on the shoulders of advocacy giants who came before us. Here are a few easy steps to get started:

  1. You’re already there! Welcome to the Georgia STOMP site.
  2. Sign up for our email list – we’ll keep you posted when it’s time to make a 2 minute phone call to your representative, or coyly slide in menstrual hygiene products into conversation at the water cooler.
  3. We LOVE following hashtags – like #EndPeriodPoverty, #MenstrualEquity, #TamponTax, and #femininehygienetax – on social media platforms or with Google Alerts. The internet, in this case, is your friend!
  4. We also LOVE following our Coalition members on social media platforms. Go to our Coalition page and find the groups in your area!
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HB731 Conclusion

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HB 731, eliminating state sales tax on feminine hygiene products, did not make it beyond Crossover Day and is thus dead for the 2018 Legislative session.

Sponsored by a statewide coalition of women’s groups, spearheaded by Georgia Women (And Those Who Stand With Us) and including the Junior Leagues of Georgia State Public Affairs Committee, this bill sought a remedy for an obvious inequity: women, who are already at an economic disadvantage in our state, are taxed on a product that is a necessity, not a choice, and for which there is no male equivalency. Feminine hygiene products are classified as medical devices by the FDA and our state legislature has given exemptions to similar items in the past.

In a year when we gave big corporations and tobacco users tax reductions, why could this easy fix to an unfair tax on women not be made? At a time when gubernatorial candidates were calling for a sales tax holiday on guns and ammo, who was thinking about the mothers and daughters in our state?

This bill enjoyed strong bipartisan support (4 R and 3 D Original Signers) and much appreciation is due to Rep. Debbie Buckner and Rep. Allen Peake for their leadership on this issue.

Our coalition is absolutely returning to the legislature next year.
Perhaps we need to send some more women to ATL in 2019!

Story Begins

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Our Story Begins

In the fall of 2017, following a question from a member, leadership at the organization Georgia Women (And Those Who Stand With Us) began meeting with their State House and Senate leadership in pursuit of the elimination of state sales tax from menstrual products in Georgia. Rep. Allen Peake was responsive and immediately agreed to support legislation but suggested a woman Representative should be the bill carrier. In December, we found our champion! Rep. Debbie Buckner enthusiastically took leadership of this bill and headed to Atlanta to gather bipartisan bill sponsorship.

Georgia Women leadership met with Rep. Jay Powell, Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and were promised a hearing for the bill. Rep. Buckner worked the bill and the day it was numbered HB731 was a great day!

In a separate movement, Atlanta activist, Reiny Esser, created an online petition to call for the sales tax elimination. Serendipitously, Esser was connected with local leaders in Savannah, Georgia working on period supply issues through Adele Stewart, a Junior League of Savannah member with healthcare experience and advocacy skills. Stewart had reached out to local Savannah Commissioner Tabitha Odell, who asked Savannah’s state representatives to add the elimination of the tax on menstrual hygiene products to the city’s “wish list.”

When news coverage of HB731 reached Stewart and Esser, Stewart immediately contacted Claire Cox, President of Georgia Women and a strong partnership was born!

Story Begins
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