Iowa Legislators advance bill to put free menstrual products in schools

A House Republican bill advanced that would require public schools to provide free menstrual products to students. The bill has bipartisan support, but the state won’t reimburse schools after three years.

Legislation is advancing in Iowa this year that would require public schools to provide free menstrual products in at least half of school restrooms for students in grades six through twelve. 

Maanya Pandey is a student at the University of Iowa. She started Love for Red, a nonprofit that donates menstrual products to places and people in Iowa. Pandey asked the subcommittee, if schools already provide products like soap and toilet paper for some bodily functions, “Why do we stop at period products?”

“Almost every menstruating student can relate to this situation,” Pandey said. “Getting your period unexpectedly and realizing you don’t have a menstrual product in your bag. Your options are begging people around you for a spare product, the coin operated dispensers—who carries change anymore—missing more class than you already have to visit the nurse, or using what’s available: stuffing toilet paper into your underwear, hoping you don’t bleed through your pants during the day.”

The bill, House File 543, was introduced by Republican Rep. David Young of Van Meter. While Democrats have introduced similar legislation, Young’s bill was the only one to receive a subcommittee from House leadership.

The bill would mandate that Iowa schools ensure menstrual hygiene products can be accessed without cost and that supplies are refilled regularly. These include sanitary napkins, tampons, or similar items.

Many schools already have programs to give students access to menstrual products, but Iowa law does not require them to do so. This means some Iowa teachers and nurses are going out-of-pocket to cover menstrual products for students. 

If passed, the bill would go into effect this July. But the way the mandate is funded, it would change over time. For the first three years of implementation, schools will be able to be reimbursed for the full cost of  buying menstrual products. However, starting in the 2028-2029 academic year, the costs would be unloaded onto school foundation aid.

Young told Iowa Starting Line that he supported the idea of making it a more permanent appropriation, but he added, “In any kind of new appropriations, a lot of times they are limited just to see how they play out, to see if they are effective or not, whether there is participation.”

Another issue brought up at the subcommittee meeting on Monday was the age range covered by the bill. Menstrual cycles typically start between ages 10 and 15. Some Iowa students begin menstruating as early as 4th grade, but as the bill is written, 4th and 5th-grade bathrooms would not be required to include menstrual products. 

According to a 2019 survey of low-income women, 64% experienced not having money to purchase needed menstrual hygiene products at some point during the previous year. This is sometimes called “period poverty,” defined a as lack of access to menstrual products, hygiene facilities, waste management, and education.

In 2023, Iowa Senate Democrats pushed a similar—though more comprehensive—bill that would have put the requirement in other state buildings, health and human services institutions, schools for the deaf, as well as correctional facilities. It never made it out of the committee. 

At least 21 states, including neighboring Illinois, require schools to provide free menstrual products. Supporters argue that access to menstrual products improves school attendance and prevents health issues associated with improper menstrual hygiene, while addressing the stigma surrounding periods.

In order to become law, the bill must pass out of committee, receive approval from both the Iowa House of Representatives and Senate, and receive a signature from the governor.