CONCORD—On Tuesday, the New Hampshire House Education Committee voted 13-7 in support of SB 142, requiring menstrual hygiene products in school restrooms.
The bill was also amended to say it would be for all gender neutral bathrooms and bathrooms designated for females in public middle and high schools and they would include sanitary napkins and tampons.
All committee Democrats voted in favor of the bill joined by one Republican, Rep. Dan Wolf. It passed the Senate in February.
Prime sponsor, Sen. Martha Hennessey, D-Hanover said: “Providing feminine hygiene products in public school restrooms is long overdue. Cost and stigma can cause a lack of access to these products for New Hampshire students, which negatively impacts their productivity and makes it harder to focus on classes.
“Menstrual hygiene products are not a luxury, they are a basic health care necessity and cannot be foregone or substituted easily; I applaud today’s House committee vote in favor of ensuring convenient access in our public schools.”
The bill was spearheaded by Rochester’s Caroline Dillon, 17.
In favor were Democrats Mel Myler, David Luneau, Linda Tanner, Barbara Shaw, Patricia Cornell, David Doherty, Tamara Le, Arthur Ellison, Sue Mullen, Cole Riel, Mark Vallone, Stephen Woodcock, and one Republican Dan Wolf.
Against were Republicans Rick Ladd, Glenn Cordelli, Robert Elliott, Ralph Boehm, James Allard, Robert Forsythe, and Alicia Lekas