The 'Tampon Tax' Is Out: New Bill Mandates Free Menstrual Products in Schools, Workplaces, and Federal Buildings

The Menstrual Equity For All Act of 2025 is setting out to tackle “period poverty” head-on by making menstrual products—pads, tampons, cups, and even menstrual underwear—free and accessible in almost every public setting. This bill is a massive push to treat these products as essential health items, not luxury goods, and it touches everything from your kid’s school to your office breakroom.

The Free Product Mandate: From Classrooms to Cubicles

If this bill becomes law, the days of scrambling for a quarter in the school bathroom are over. Section 3 requires all K-12 schools receiving federal funds to provide free menstrual products to students. This mandate extends to colleges and universities, too, via a new competitive grant program (Section 4) designed to help higher education institutions stock these supplies, specifically prioritizing community colleges and schools with high Pell Grant enrollment.

But it doesn't stop at education. Section 8 introduces a new requirement for businesses: if your employer has 100 or more employees, they must now provide menstrual products for free to staff. While this is a clear win for employees, it’s a new, unfunded operational cost for large businesses. Similarly, Section 9 requires all public restrooms in federal buildings to stock these products for free, treating them just like toilet paper or soap. This is a huge shift in how public hygiene is handled.

Medicaid, Jails, and the Homeless Population

This legislation focuses heavily on vulnerable populations. Section 7 amends the Social Security Act to officially add menstrual products to the list of items covered by Medicaid. This means that states must now cover these essential items for low-income individuals, providing significant financial relief.

For people who are incarcerated or detained, Section 5 mandates that states receiving certain federal law enforcement funds must certify annually that they are providing free menstrual products to all people in their facilities. Failure to certify means a 20% cut in that state’s federal funding, which is a strong incentive for compliance but could potentially impact other public safety programs if a state refuses to cooperate. Furthermore, Section 6 explicitly allows organizations receiving Emergency Food and Shelter Grant funds (which serve the homeless) to use that money to purchase and distribute menstrual products.

The End of the “Tampon Tax” and New Funding Streams

Perhaps the most immediate financial relief for everyone comes from Section 11, which bans all state and local governments nationwide from imposing sales tax on menstrual products. This eliminates the so-called “tampon tax,” immediately making these necessary items cheaper for every consumer across the country.

To ensure low-income families can get these products consistently, the bill creates dedicated funding streams. Section 10 earmarks $200 million annually (FY 2026–2029) within the Social Services Block Grant program specifically for states to partner with local nonprofits to distribute free menstrual products. Section 12 does the same for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, authorizing $10 million annually for grants to help TANF families purchase these supplies. The bill is clear that this assistance cannot count against a family’s benefits in other needs-based programs, which is crucial for protecting eligibility.