2026 -- S 3279

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LC006226

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

SUPPORTING "PERIOD POVERTY AWARENESS WEEK" ON MAY 11-17, 2026, IN THE

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Senators Kallman, Lawson, Euer, Quezada, Ujifusa, Gallo, Murray,
Sosnowski, and DiMario

     Date Introduced: May 12, 2026

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

     WHEREAS, The United Nations has recognized access to menstrual hygiene and care as

a global public health priority and human rights issue; and

     WHEREAS, In 2019, Rhode Island passed legislation eliminating the tax on period

supplies, which was an important step in the right direction. However, there continues to exist

negative financial, social, educational, and medical ramifications for many women and girls,

particularly those living in poverty; and

     WHEREAS, More than thirteen percent of Rhode Island women live below the Federal

Poverty Line, and two in five menstruators in the State report struggling to afford period

products; and

     WHEREAS, For women and girls who live below the Federal Poverty Line, there is often

a no-win choice between paying for food or period products, and has too often resulted in the use

of alternate unsanitary practices and products putting their health at risk; and

     WHEREAS, In addition, during menstruation, women are often forced to disrupt their

regular activity, resulting in missed work, missed opportunities, negative effects on their self-

esteem, and social stigma; and

     WHEREAS, Period Poverty Awareness Week, observed May 11-17, 2026, was created

by the Alliance for Period Supplies, a national network of nonprofit organizations working to

ensure that individuals in need have access to essential period products required to fully partake

in the activities of daily living, and to raise awareness about period poverty and its impacts; and

     WHEREAS, Amenity Aid, Rhode Island's only hygiene bank and one of the largest in the

country, represents the State within the Alliance for Period Supplies and provides essential

hygiene products to those in need through partnerships with ten social service agencies across the

State, helping ensure all individuals can participate fully in daily life; and

     WHEREAS, Hygiene insecurity and period poverty are equity issues that

disproportionately affect marginalized communities and people of color, and there are currently

no government assistance programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)

or WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) that address this widespread need; and

     WHEREAS, Adequate availability, dignity, and justice is deserved and must be inherent

to solving period poverty and menstrual social stigma in Rhode Island and across the globe; now,

therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby memorializes “Period

Poverty Awareness Week” on May 11-17, 2026, and supports the global effort to raise awareness

about the need for period products to be more accessible and affordable, to break the stigma of

menstruation, and efforts to advocate for policy and funding to make these goals a reality; and be

it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Amenity Aid, Period Equity at Brown

University, and the Rhode Island Foundation.

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LC006226

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