CORONA — Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland's plan to bring tampons and pads to every city school, homeless shelter and jail cleared a big hurdle Tuesday at City Hall.
The councilwoman, along with Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, formally introduced legislation that would provide the free feminine products, expanding a program that currently provides them in 25 schools in Queens and The Bronx.
The trial program, funded by a health care company, got its start last September at The High School for Arts and Business in Corona. The school's principal said attendance went up in the months since they initiated the program, which she attributed to the free pads and tampons.
"Having these products available sends a message of value and respect for girls' bodies," Ferreras-Copeland said at the introduction of the three bills on Tuesday — which came after a controversial vote on the mayor's new rezoning plan.
Mark-Viverito said access to pads and tampons "shouldn't be an onerous situation for women."
"These bills will address that and will take away the stigma and shame from being able to access this essential part of women's health," she added.
The first bill would require all public schools, including charters, to offer free feminine products in all bathrooms. The second would require the Department of Health to offer products to women living in family and adult shelters, as well as youth shelters and domestic violence shelters.
The final bill would require the Department of Correction to give pads and tampons whenever an inmate at a city jail requests it. At this time, the DOC only provides 144 sanitary napkins per week for every 50 inmates, with more available for sale in the commissary.
City Council members also introduced a resolution for the state Senate to repeal the tax on feminine hygiene products, which passed unanimously in the state Assembly last week.
The "straightforward" legislation was praised by many, including Margo Seibert, one of five women who sued the State Department of Taxation and Finance over the tax on pads and tampons.
"On behalf of menstruating humans, it's about time," she said in a statement.
Ferreras-Copeland told DNAinfo New York she's working to prioritize the vote on the bills before the start of the 2016-2017 school year.
