Some Hoosier lawmakers have called for a repeal of the Pink Tax in previous sessions, but the proposal has never made it across the finish line.
INDIANAPOLIS — A push to get rid of Indiana's sales tax on products women use during their period was unsuccessful this legislative session.
One nonprofit who supplies such products to schools and health centers says they plan to be more vocal about the tax while continuing their work.
"It's a health care issue. It's an education issue. It's a dignity issue," said Angie Katinas, one of the co-founders of Project Period, an organization that collects donations and also buys menstrual products, distributing them to health centers, neighborhood programs and schools in Indianapolis and Marion County.
Project Period hopes to help more women have access to such products.
"It's called 'period poverty,' which is the experience of not being able to afford the period products you need to safely and with dignity manage your period," Katinas said.
She explained that research shows women across the country and in Indiana sometimes struggle to afford monthly feminine hygiene products.
"As many as 1 in 3 girls report missing school because they don't have the necessary supplies to go to school with dignity during their period," she said.
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"If students don't have the basic necessities, they're not going to have a good day," said Hanna Yaeger-Busch with Teachers Treasures, which gets thousands of products a month from Project Period. "I can't tell you how many teachers and nurses and social workers have come to me and said, 'I give these out every day.'"
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What about when schools are not in session?
"Summer is a challenging time for all low-income students, because they're separated from food resources and hygiene resources, period products included, so we decided to step up to the plate," said Katinas.
This summer, for the first time, Project Period will provide thousands of period products to all 25 branches of the Indianapolis Public Library. Teens can get them at the front desk.
"It's a really discreet and dignified way to handle that if you're in need of a period pack," Katinas explained, saying she also hopes Project Period can be more vocal in future attempts to repeal Indiana's sales tax on menstrual products.
Credit: WTHR
It's something more than 20 states and Washington D.C. have already done.
In Indiana, the tax raises about $5 million a year. Some Hoosier lawmakers have called for a repeal of the Pink Tax in previous sessions, but the proposal has never made it across the finish line.
This session, Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder (D-District 40) filed a bill that would have removed the Period Tax, but Yoder's bill never got a hearing.
In the first budget proposal from the House, lawmakers repealed Indiana's Pink Tax, but lawmakers in the Senate put it back in where it remained when lawmakers passed the final budget proposal.
"I understand at the state level, there's a big impact when they suddenly take away $5 million, but we're not going to be silent when the burden of that is totally on women," said Katinas.
