SENATE RESOLUTION SUPPORTING PERIOD POVERTY AWARENESS WEEK ON MAY 11-17, 2026, IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, the official text

S3279 2026 -- S 3279 ======== LC006226 ======== STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ 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 1 WHEREAS, The United Nations has recognized access to menstrual hygiene and care as 2 a global public health priority and human rights issue; and 3 WHEREAS, In 2019, Rhode Island passed legislation eliminating the tax on period 4 supplies, which was an important step in the right direction. However, there continues to exist 5 negative financial, social, educational, and medical ramifications for many women and girls, 6 particularly those living in poverty; and 7 WHEREAS, More than thirteen percent of Rhode Island women live below the Federal 8 Poverty Line, and two in five menstruators in the State report struggling to afford period 9 products; and 10 WHEREAS, For women and girls who live below the Federal Poverty Line, there is often 11 a no-win choice between paying for food or period products, and has too often resulted in the use 12 of alternate unsanitary practices and products putting their health at risk; and 13 WHEREAS, In addition, during menstruation, women are often forced to disrupt their 14 regular activity, resulting in missed work, missed opportunities, negative effects on their self- 15 esteem, and social stigma; and 16 WHEREAS, Period Poverty Awareness Week, observed May 11-17, 2026, was created 17 by the Alliance for Period Supplies, a national network of nonprofit organizations working to 18 ensure that individuals in need have access to essential period products required to fully partake 19 in the activities of daily living, and to raise awareness about period poverty and its impacts; and 1 WHEREAS, Amenity Aid, Rhode Island s only hygiene bank and one of the largest in the 2 country, represents the State within the Alliance for Period Supplies and provides essential 3 hygiene products to those in need through partnerships with ten social service agencies across the 4 State, helping ensure all individuals can participate fully in daily life; and 5 WHEREAS, Hygiene insecurity and period poverty are equity issues that 6 disproportionately affect marginalized communities and people of color, and there are currently 7 no government assistance programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) 8 or WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) that address this widespread need; and 9 WHEREAS, Adequate availability, dignity, and justice is deserved and must be inherent 10 to solving period poverty and menstrual social stigma in Rhode Island and across the globe; now, 11 therefore be it 12 RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby memorializes “Period 13 Poverty Awareness Week” on May 11-17, 2026, and supports the global effort to raise awareness 14 about the need for period products to be more accessible and affordable, to break the stigma of 15 menstruation, and efforts to advocate for policy and funding to make these goals a reality; and be 16 it further 17 RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 18 transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Amenity Aid, Period Equity at Brown 19 University, and the Rhode Island Foundation. ======== LC006226 ======== LC006226 - Page 2 of 2