STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1630

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 78

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Government Operations and Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.R. No. 78 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES TO PROVIDE MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS AT NO COST IN STATE BUILDINGS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES THAT ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND CONTAIN PUBLIC RESTROOMS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Accounting and General Services to provide menstrual products at no cost in state buildings under the jurisdiction of the Department of Accounting and General Services that are open to the public and contain public restrooms.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Accounting and General Services, Parents and Children Together, and twenty individuals.

Your Committees find that period poverty has negative effects on a person's ability to meet basic necessities, gender equality, access to education and employment, and public health. A growing number of menstruating girls, women, and gender-diverse persons are at risk due to the absence of readily available aid and financial support. Recent data collected by the United States Census Bureau for the Household Pulse Survey indicated 43.8 percent of Hawaii households reported struggling to pay for usual household expenses in the last seven days. Your Committees further find that providing free menstrual products in public buildings would reduce health risks, alleviate the burdens of period poverty, and protect the dignity of all menstruating persons. Therefore, this measure requests the Department of Accounting and General Services to give members of the public access to essential hygiene products by providing menstrual products at no cost in state buildings under its jurisdiction that are open to the public and contain public restrooms.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Government Operations and Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 78 and recommend its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Government Operations and Health and Human Services,

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair

________________________________ ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair