Earlier this month, Kentucky State Representative Lisa Willner introduced HB 148 to remove the tampon tax.
I think it’s a fundamental injustice. This is a tax that affects roughly half of the population and doesn’t affect the other half.
Rep. Lisa Willner
Her bill also aims to tackle period poverty, requiring that middle schools and high schools provide free period products.
Willner’s bill would allocate $2 million to provide pads and tampons for free with the requirement that the products be offered in half of a school building’s bathrooms.
Rep. Kim Banta also filed a bill to repeal the sales tax on period products. However, Banta’s proposed bill—HB 64—does not require free period products in public schools.
18 states, including Kentucky, still impose a sales tax on period products. Texas was the latest state to eliminate the tampon tax back in September of 2023.
