STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1439
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.C.R. No. 27
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2023
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 27 entitled:
"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO SUPPORT ENDING MENSTRUAL INEQUITY BY PROVIDING MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS TO ALL PERSONS, FREE OF CHARGE, IN ALL UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII RESTROOMS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and
intent of this measure is to request
the University of Hawaii to support ending menstrual inequity by providing
menstrual products to all persons, free of charge, in all University of Hawaii restrooms.
Your Committee
received testimony in support of this measure from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, University of
Hawai‘i System, Ma‘i Movement Hawai‘i, PERIOD., Hawaii Women's
Coalition, Midwives Alliance of Hawaii, Zen Den Midwifery, and twenty-nine
individuals.
Your Committee finds that menstrual
products are essential to the physical and mental health, well-being, and full
participation of menstruators. Despite
the necessity of menstrual products for the maintenance of personal hygiene,
menstrual products are not provided within all restrooms. This is in stark contrast to other necessary
hygiene products, such as toilet paper and soap, which are provided at no cost
to restroom users. In recognition of the
critical role menstrual products play in menstruators' lives, and thus menstruators'
education, various entities, of their own volition, have developed and
implemented various initiatives to provide menstrual products, free of charge, in
restrooms on all ten University of Hawaii campuses. However, due to the lack of institutional leadership
and resources invested into providing menstrual products, distribution of these
products is inconsistent and inequitable within and among campuses. Therefore, this measure requests the
University of Hawaii to address this inequitable distribution, and the greater
issue of menstrual inequity, by providing menstrual products in all University
restrooms.
Your Committee has
amended this measure by:
(1) Inserting findings regarding the Phi Theta
Kappa Honor Society at Kapiolani Community College's implementation of a pilot
program, of their own volition, that provides menstrual products, free of
charge, in Kapiolani Community College restrooms;
(2) Inserting findings regarding the University of
Hawaii at Hilo's independent implementation of a program that provides
menstrual products, free of charge, in campus restrooms;
(3) Clarifying that the University of Hawaii System
is urged to provide menstrual products, free of charge, to all students at all
university, community college, and education center campuses as part of a
public health and education equity strategy that addresses economic disparities;
(4) Requesting that, beginning in the fall
semester of 2023, each University of Hawaii System Chancellor consult with the
student council of the Chancellor's respective campus regarding the type and
amount of menstrual products to be provided at the campus;
(5) Requesting that the University of Hawaii System submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024 on the status of providing menstrual products, free of charge, to all of the System's campuses;
(6) Requiring certified copies of this
measure to be transmitted to the Chair of the Board of Regents of the
University of Hawaii System, each University of Hawaii System Chancellor, and
the Executive Director of Equity Assurance of the University of Hawaii;
(7) Amending its title in accordance with its
amended purpose; and
(8) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments
for the purposes of clarity and consistency.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 27, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 27, S.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,
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________________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair |
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