STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 433-20
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2020
RE: H.B. No. 2430
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirtieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2020
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Lower & Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2430 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to exempt feminine hygiene products from the general excise tax and provide funding to the Department of Education to make feminine hygiene products available to students for free on public secondary school campuses.
Your Committee finds that menstrual
products are subject to sales or excise taxes in thirty-five states, including
Hawaii. Your Committee further finds
that according to a study published in 2019 by the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists found that nearly two-thirds, or sixty-four
percent, of low‑income women in the United States could not afford
menstrual products during the previous year, with nearly half of these women
struggling to buy both food and feminine hygiene products within the last
twelve months. This measure will promote
menstrual equity by exempting feminine hygiene products from the general excise
tax and fund feminine hygiene products to be available for free on public
secondary school campuses.
Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2050.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Lower & Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2430, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2430, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Lower & Higher Education,
|
|
____________________________ JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair |
|
|
|