Parker bill to get period products to people in need passes House
Rep. Darisha Parker June 26, 2025 | 12:25 PM
HARRISBURG, June 26 – Legislation introduced by state Rep. Darisha Parker, D-Phila., that would have the state make a greater commitment to menstrual equity for women and girls passed the House today.
House Bill 1100 would authorize the Pennsylvania departments of human services and health to apply for a federal waiver to allow people receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Women, Infants, and Children assistance to purchase menstrual hygiene products with program funds should such a waiver be made available to states. Current federal regulations for SNAP and WIC do not allow for the purchase of period products. 
“I continue to fight vigorously for menstrual equity for women and girls in Pennsylvania because equity for this basic necessity in life does not currently exist,” Parker said. “More than half of the world’s population are menstruating individuals, and they should not have to miss work, school or other life events, or put their personal health in jeopardy, due to not having access to essential, clean and sanitary period products.
“These products are readily available in grocery and convenience stores because they are considered essential necessities, along with food. With this legislation, we are sending a clear signal to the federal government that Pennsylvania government has put a priority on ending period poverty for our residents and that they should respond in kind,” she said.
According to Parker, one in four teens and one in three adults struggled to purchase period products last year, with 44% of teens reporting stress and embarrassment due to their lack of access to period products. Period poverty also disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx communities, with nearly a quarter of menstruating individuals within these communities struggling to afford period products in 2021.
She said people who cannot afford period products have reported using newspapers, rags and socks instead of pads, pantiliners or tampons to absorb the bleeding, leading to greater health problems.
Parker said she remains motivated to push bills related to essential menstrual products for Pennsylvanians due to the advocacy of Gov. Josh Shapiro and First Lady Lori Shapiro and last year’s state budget allocation of $3 million to provide menstrual products in schools at no cost to students and their families.
“I am incredibly grateful to everyone who is helping Pennsylvania women move forward in dignity and thank my colleagues for their vote,” Parker said. “I also thank our advocates who work tirelessly to bring the issue to the forefront, especially Lynette Medley, founder of No More Secrets, who continues to stand with me to advocate for the many women and girls who right now go without.”
This is the second time the House has passed this legislation and sent it to the Senate for consideration. The 2023-24 legislative session version of the bill was sent to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee last year but never received consideration.
“I most passionately urge my colleagues in the Senate to not ignore the needs of women in our commonwealth and pass this bill now,” Parker said. “I will not stop talking about this issue while countless young girls entering womanhood continue to experience embarrassment or consider themselves as less than due to public policy that stigmatizes and endangers a natural biological process.”