Ohio House votes to give state's inmates free menstrual products
May 29—The Ohio House approved a bipartisan bill this week that would require all Ohio correctional facilities to provide menstrual products to inmates free-of-charge.
House Bill 29, passed Wednesday by a vote of 91-to-0, now heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.
If it makes its way into law, the bill should have no substantial impact on the prisons run by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, as it's already the ODRC's policy to offer free tampons and pads to inmates.
The impact of H.B. 29 could come, however, at the county level.
The state's nonpartisan Legislative Budget Office found that many county jails already provide these products for free. Those jails that don't can expect costs to increase based on how many female inmates they have, the lengths of their stay, and the costs of products provided.
Dayton Democrat and first-term legislator Rep. Desiree Tims told this outlet that she voted for the bill "because it will ensure some form of dignity for women menstruating while incarcerated."
An identical bill passed the Ohio House 92-0 in 2024 before stalling out in the Ohio Senate under the leadership of then-President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, who now leads the Ohio House. He said the bill's fate in his former chamber wasn't an indicative of a lack of support.
"I don't think it will have any problem getting passed in the Senate," Huffman told reporters Wednesday.
Current Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, however, said he doesn't have a personal opinion on the bill and said his caucus has not yet discussed the bill.
When asked for her stance, Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, said feminine hygiene products were akin to toilet paper and asked posed a hypothetical about a Statehouse without T.P.
"It would not be healthy, it would not be hygienic, and the same thing is true of feminine products. They should be provided absolutely everywhere without cost to the people who are using them."
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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