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Hawaii added free menstrual products, such as tampons, to public school bathrooms last year. Now legislators are trying to expand that program statewide, saying it’s a matter of gender and hygiene equity.

Supporters are concerned about the cost of living in the state, and people who struggle to meet basic needs are likely to be affected by an inability to buy menstrual products. Providing those items free of charge in public buildings could reduce related health risks and protect the dignity of those who need them, according to a set of bills introduced this year.

and companion are aimed at providing disposable pads and tampons at all University of Hawaii campuses, including community colleges and education centers. Meanwhile, and would mandate that they be available in state-owned buildings.

At the University of Hawaii, for example, 43% of menstruating students experienced some form of “period poverty” during the past year, conducted by George Mason University and Maʻi Movement �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� in 2023. Many of those students reported missing classes and leaving early from school because they couldn’t get menstrual products.

The public building measures would require the state to install dispensers in each women’s and gender-neutral restroom. If no gender-neutral restroom is available, the Department of Accounting and General Services should provide free menstrual products in at least one men’s restroom with signs in the others indicating its location.

Republican Rep. Diamond Garcia criticized the latter provision during a discussion about HB 2003 on Jan. 31. “Men do not menstruate, so therefore, it’s a no-vote,” he said.

Rep. Rachele F. Lamosao said she supports the bill as a way to make sure everyone can easily get important hygiene products. Lamosao, who won a for her efforts on this topic, collaborated with Ma’i Movement to distribute $1,000 worth of period products in public spaces last year.

The Ma’i Movement, which was was in charge of the K-12 pilot program the state implemented last year, testified in support of the bills. The nonprofit found that when students didn’t have access to period products, they resorted to newspapers, napkins, diapers, leaves, socks, toilet paper, folder paper and old rags, any of which could lead to serious infections.

The lack of access to sanitary products not only compromises hygiene but also contributes to a range of physical and emotional challenges, supporters of these bills argued. For those affected, the financial weight of purchasing menstrual products often means sacrificing other essential needs, such as food and shelter. 

“If we do not acknowledge and respect the most basic part of our biology, then we cannot advocate for harder things,” said Nikki-Ann Yee, co-founder and president of . “This is a basic need that has kept people from going to school, from going to work, from living fully.”