Montgomery County Council committees reviewed a bill Thursday that would require free menstrual products in public restrooms.
Councilmember Will Jawando introduced the bill in November 2023 and a public hearing was held a month later. A companion resolution, also introduced by Jawando, would adopt the provisions of the bill as a Board of Health resolution.
Jawando said many people who face period poverty — a term associated with a lack of access to proper menstrual products — suffer in silence. More than one third of low-income women, or 38% have reported missing work, school or similar events due to lack of period supplies, and nearly seven out of 10 people agree that period poverty is a public health issue, Jawando said.
“As the father of three daughters with an amazing wife at home and so many others, and as a civil rights lawyer, this was something that struck a chord with me as equitable access,” Jawando said. “This is a public health initiative.”
A Maryland state law requires all middle and high schools to provide free menstrual products to students by 2025. Councilmember Dawn Luedtke said last summer a county middle schooler and high schooler voiced concerns about free menstrual products at their school being taken before anyone had a chance to use them.
Luedtke said it’s important to consider whether there should be regulation in the proposed legislation to ensure those with the most need for free menstrual products get the materials, especially amid issues in schools.
“How can you adequately make sure that the person who has the need, the people who are actually experiencing period poverty, are the ones who are getting the things they need?” Luedtke said.
Individuals who face period poverty tend to be communities of color, according to Nina Ashford, the county’s Chief of Public Health Services. One way to target these communities could be to use zip codes or other equity data to determine where free menstrual products are most needed, she said.
Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe said although providing free menstrual products in public restrooms helps make necessary health materials more accessible, it doesn’t address the underlying problems of period poverty.
“When we look at the logistics of how many times a girl or woman is menstruating in a public place where they need resources, that is a very small fraction of the total amount of resources they’re going to need every month for their period,” Balcombe said. “Even if we did provide products in public places, that’s not solving the overall need.”
Going forward, councilmembers said they would need to continue discussing proper enforcement measures in public spaces and the cost of implementing the products.
The bill will be advanced to the full council, according to Councilmember Gabe Albornoz.
Related:
During Public Hearing, Residents Call for Free Menstrual Products
