Tax Elimination
Educate. Advocate. Donate.
East Point/College Park Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. hosts the largest Georgia STOMP Candid Conversation to date!
On Saturday, December 11th, Georgia STOMP was the featured program at an event hosted by East Point/College Park Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Educate. Advocate. Donate. was the theme of the day as chapter members and guests learned about the issues of period poverty and menstrual equity.
Georgia STOMP Membership Chair, Dominique Holloman, and Dr. Heather Scott of member organization, the Junior League of Douglas County, expertly conducted a Candid Conversation for over 100 virtual participants and kept them engaged and participating for the entire 1½ hours.
The virtual “All White Party” was the culmination of several months of coordinating between Georgia STOMP and EP/CP Delta chapter leadership. In November, the entire organization of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. (DST) adopted a Resolution at its National convention Atlanta to support the elimination of sales tax on menstrual products nationwide. The event on the 11th was planned to provide DST members information on the effects of period poverty, the inequity of the tax and the existence of HB810 before the legislature in Georgia.
A Candid Conversation — normally a small intimate event — was hosted for the more than 100 in attendance. Candid Conversations are designed to break the stigma and shame associated with talking about periods equipping advocates to talk about the needs of menstruators in public conversations.
The “donate” portion of the program benefitted two Georgia STOMP member organizations — Atlanta GLOW and The Dignity Pack project. Over $1500 of period related products were donated by DST members to these two organizations who work to meet the needs of menstruators lacking period products.
The day was a complete success and the DST’s are fired up and ready to work for the passage of HB810 in the 2022 legislative session! Are you?
2020 HB8 Progress
Following a request from Rep. Debbie Buckner and Rep. Teri Anulewicz to Chairman Sharon Cooper of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee, HB8 was officially moved out of the Ways and Means Committee and into HHS on Wednesday, January 29th!
It had been made clear that HB8 would NOT get a hearing in the Ways and Means Committee this session. Objections to the bill are varied, but include that despite being classified as medical devices by the FDA, menstrual products are not considered medical devices in Georgia. The goal of moving to HHS is to get that designation accomplished. Chairman Sharon Cooper has voiced support of that effort, so we are hopeful for a successful 2020 legislative session!
Once the definition of the devices is changed in Georgia, we will work with the Department of Revenue to accomplish the tax exemption.
Stay tuned for a “Tax Free Tuesday” email with information on how to advocate for the change of definition of menstrual products in Georgia!
2nd Annual Summit for Period Poverty Leadership
Claire Cox and Adele Stewart recently attended the Alliance for Period Supplies’ (APS) National Summit for Period Poverty Leadership on October 23rd, 2019. It was the second time the Georgia STOMP coalition attended the summit, though the first time Georgia STOMP was just an idea – not a 15,000 person-strong reality!
At the Summit, Claire and Adele presented the progress made over the last year in Georgia – highlighting the coalition building that led to successful relationships forged with Georgia’s Emergency Management Agency, Department of Corrections, Department of Education, and Department of Public Health.
L -> R Claire Cox, Adele Stewart, Andrea Cooke, Jamie Lackey
Cheering them on as they presented were two coalition member representatives – Jamie Lackey, CEO of Helping Mamas, and early advocate for the Georgia STOMP pillars, and Andrea Cooke, of Macon Periods Easier fame! Both were able to answer questions by other attendees about their involvement with the coalition, and some of the innovative ways they are addressing product need in Georgia.
Other presentations included incredible data reviews from a disturbing but incredibly meaningful study in St. Louis by Dr. Anne Serbert Kuhlmann, Ph.D., M.P.H., followed by a review of a year’s worth of APS data by Kelley Massengale, Ph.D., M.P.H., Director of Research and Evaluation at the Diaper Bank of North Carolina. The data from both of these presentations will surely change the advocacy landscape nationwide, highlighting our understanding of menstrual product access.
Look for more insights from the Summit over the coming weeks as we prepare for the 2020 Legislative Session!
Girl Scouts and Georgia STOMP – Badges Galore
Over the summer, Claire Cox and Adele Stewart were lucky to meet the girls of Metter Girl Scout Troop #30083, and help them earn three new badges while discussing the pillars of Georgia STOMP’s work!
The Brownies worked on Being a Philanthropist, and learned how to help people in need. The girls picked up quickly on how important it is to help one another in our communities, and how difficult life can be when needs aren’t being met. We talked about how some people need period products, and when they don’t have those products, how challenging going to school and staying at school might be. They also packed period packs to donate to the local schools so that girls in their community could focus on getting an education.
The Juniors learned about Inside Government, and explored complex concepts about what it means to be a citizen, and how we all can be engaged citizens. They discussed different levels of government, and learned how a bill is passed! After the training, they were able to contact their local State Senator and Representative about what they learned, and why they thought menstrual products 1) shouldn’t be taxes, and 2) should be freely available in schools.
The Cadettes learned about Finding Common Ground, and used potato chip flavor preferences to understand the idea of compromise when many people have different opinions. While BBQ was the unifying potato chip flavor, the girls also explored more difficult concepts of why people may or may not think that menstrual products should be taxed, or freely available in schools. They also contacted their State Senators and Representatives, using emails as well as postcards.
Georgia STOMP was honored to be able to make the trip to Metter and meet these young advocates. If your Girl Scout Troop is interested in earning these badges with our coalition, please contact us at GeorgiaSTOMP@gmail.com.
Opponents of Georgia’s “Tampon Tax” Vow to Press Lawmakers in 2020
When tweeting out a link to the Georgia Recorder’s coverage of #HB8 and the money allocated to the Georgia DOE and DPH, author Jill Nolin (Twitter: @jillnolin) noted that, “The $1.5 million in the state budget for menstrual products could see a trim. Advocates are urging the state’s budget writers to not just leave the funds alone but to also come back next year and rethink the sales tax on these products.”
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:
- Giving states the option to use federal grant funds to provide students with free menstrual hygiene products in schools;
- Ensuring that inmates and detainees incarcerated in federal (including immigration detention centers), state, and local facilitates have access to free 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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
#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
Period Progress: A Press Conference at the Gold Dome
#PeriodProgress looks like boxes upon boxes of menstrual products passing through the security gate at the Georgia State Capitol building
#PeriodProgress looks like leaders of state-wide government organizations standing in support of menstrual product access
#PeriodProgress looks like the terms ‘period poverty’ and ‘menstrual equity’ being broadcast in the Rotunda
#PeriodProgress looks like a diverse group of state delegates and advocates showing up on a rainy Tuesday to talk about #periodpoverty and #menstrualequity
#PeriodProgress looks like the elimination of the state sales tax on menstrual products, and continued efforts to ensure that those products are safe, accessible, and affordable.
Ask your State Representative to support House Bill 8, today!
A huge thank you to GEMA Director Homer Bryson, Commissioner Timothy Ward from the Department of Corrections and to these legislators for all their help with tackling issues like #periodpoverty and #menstrualequity. #gapol pic.twitter.com/GnM6qKjOdi
— Georgia STOMP (@Georgia_STOMP) February 19, 2019
