Politics & Government
Essex County Lawmaker Wants Free Menstrual Products In NJ Schools
A proposed New Jersey law would require some schools to offer free feminine hygiene products to students. The state would foot the bill.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Some school districts in low-income parts of New Jersey would have to provide their students with free feminine hygiene products if a proposed bill clears the state legislature.
The bill, S-3645, passed the Senate Education Committee earlier this week, according to its primary sponsors, Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz (District 29), who represents Belleville and Newark, and Sen. Troy Singleton (District 7), who represents several towns in Burlington County.
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According to a joint statement from the senators:
“S-3645 would require feminine hygiene products be in certain schools teaching students in grades six through 12. School districts would be required to stock schools if 40 percent or more of the school population reside in households with a total income of 1.85 times the federal poverty level or less… Under the bill, feminine hygiene products would have to be available in at least 50 percent of the school bathrooms free of charges. Any costs incurred by the school district as a result of the bill would be covered by the state.”
The bill was released from committee by a vote of 5-1. It heads to the Senate Budget and Appropriation Committee for further consideration.
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“Despite being a necessity, menstrual products can be costly, especially for a family struggling to make ends meet,” said Ruiz, the Senate Education Committee chair. “When parents can’t afford them, their daughters will often stay home from school, missing valuable time in the classroom. This legislation would prevent girls from taking off because of their period by ensuring they can get the products they need without having to pay for them.”
Singleton called the status quo “completely unacceptable.”
“Every time we discover a cause of absenteeism we work to determine how we can address that issue in the legislature and this is no different,” Singleton said. “No student should be missing school because they have their period and cannot afford menstrual products.”
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