Call to Action!

Summary and Advocacy by Nekena R and Vanna L

Did you know that 1 in 4 high schoolers experience period insecurity in the United States? Students who menstruate often miss school days or are late because of unexpected menstruation or a lack of period products. Many states, like Ann Arbor, Michigan, have laws that require public facilities to have period products, and New York is the exception. A proposed solution is Senate Bill S3866A.

Click here for more on Senate Bill S3866A                       Click here to find and call your representative.

S3866A is a bill that requires public buildings owned or leased by New York State to provide free access to menstrual products in toilet facilities, specifically female-designated and gender-neutral restrooms. This includes, but is not limited to, tampons, pads, and panty liners. Sponsored by Michelle Hickney of the 41st Senate district, the bill intends to close the gap of period insecurity and push for menstrual equity.

As of April 2026, the bill sits in the Finance Committee. It had previously been passed in the Senate on June 13, 2025, but died in the assembly on January 7, 2026. On the same day, it returned to the Senate and was referred to the Women's Issues committee. On January 29, 2026, the bill was “reported and committed to [the] Finance [committee]. After further financial review, the Senate will need to vote on the bill again, and if passed, the bill will need to go through the Assembly.

Once effective, however, the bill will also require the commissioner of general services to report to the governor and both houses of the legislature after two years to ensure the bill is being enforced. This includes statistics of the number of toilet facilities, the cost of implementing the requirements, the number of toilet facilities that require renovation to implement them, the total number of menstrual products purchased by the state, and the total cost to the state to implement them.

Similarly, Senate Bill S7318, also co-sponsored by Michelle Hinchey of the 41st Senate district, aims to provide equitable access to menstrual products. Rather than distributing free products throughout public buildings, which is only accessible outside, this bill will allow families and individuals to purchase their own sanitary products to use at home through the use of SNAP benefits.

Currently, only consumable food items such as produce, protein, dairy, staples, snacks, and drinks could be purchased using this welfare program. Though EBT cash (TANF) exists to provide funds for essential non-food items such as toiletries, soap, and cleaning supplies, there is often not enough allocated towards menstrual products. If passed, EBT food (SNAP), which typically provides more money based on need, could be used to combat period insecurity, especially for low-income households.

As of April 23, 2026, the status of the bill remains stagnant with no action taken after January 7, 2026 when the bill had died in assembly, returned to the senate, and referred to social services after it had passed the senate, delivered to assembly, and referred to social services June of the previous year.

Hygiene and period insecurity is a very important issue in which the menstruation experience, especially for students, can be greatly impacted by the passage of this bill. If you would like to support this initiative, you can find and call your representative to advocate for S3886A and S7315. Every call builds into a future where students don’t have to call around to ask for products.