INDIANAPOLIS—On Wednesday, the State and Local Tax Review Task Force included the elimination of the tax of menstrual discharge collection devices on the agenda.

Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) released the following statement: 

“Thank you to Senator Holdman for adding this critical topic to the agenda today and to all the Hoosier advocates and organizations that showed up to support this measure. This issue is so important, and we cannot allow another year to pass without taking action to correct this 60-year mistake, which has created genuine barriers for menstruating Hoosiers. 

“1 in 5 Hoosier girls currently struggle to afford menstrual discharge collection devices. 84% of students have missed school or know someone who has missed school because of a lack of access to these products, and 36% of workers miss one or more days of work each month for that same reason. This is a real and pervasive problem, and eliminating this tax is an essential step to addressing it.  

“If we want to tackle workforce issues, cut down on school truancy and support Hoosiers engaging in society—specifically women and girls—we need to eliminate this tax. If this Legislature cares about constitutionality and equal application of the law, we need to eliminate this tax. And if we want to stand on the side of justice, we must eliminate this tax.  

“I will continue my fight alongside the passionate advocates who understand the urgent need to address this matter immediately, and I genuinely hope my colleagues will be receptive to our calls for justice, equality and constitutionality. Several states have waited until lawsuits were filed against them before they chose to act, and I hope it will not take the threat of legal action for our great state to do the right thing by over half the population impacted by this tax.”