NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2428
SPONSOR: Rosenthal TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to providing free
menstrual products in the restrooms of private colleges and universities
PURPOSE:
This legislation will ensure that students at private universities have
access to free menstrual products.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends the public health law by adding a new section 267-b.
Section two establishes the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
New York State has been at the forefront of the menstrual equity move-
ment, expanding access to menstrual products for all who need them. In
2016, New York State passed legislation to remove the sales tax formerly
imposed on menstrual products. In 2018, the Legislature passed, and the
governor signed into law a bill requiring free menstrual products to be
available in public school bathrooms for students in grades 6 through
12, and the law was expanded to cover students in private schools in
2023. Making menstrual products free and widely available in school
bathrooms removes the stigma that menstruation is shameful or unhygienic
and ensures that students will not miss instructional time because of a
lack of access to menstrual products.
This legislation will expand access to menstrual products for university
students, as is already law for public and private middle and high
schools and will further ensure menstrual equity in our state.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: A.8873 - Referred to Higher Education; S.9586 - Referred to
Women's Issues
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2428
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 16, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to providing free
menstrual products in the restrooms of private colleges and universi-
ties
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section
2 267-c to read as follows:
3 § 267-c. Menstrual products in private colleges and universities. All
4 private colleges and universities in the state shall provide menstrual
5 products in the restrooms of such school building or buildings. Such
6 products shall be provided at no charge to students.
7 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05702-01-5
