We are Ruhika Patra and Samantha Haggerty, cadets of Girl Scout Troop #2607 in Plano, Texas. As part of our Silver Award project, we wanted to do something that would have a positive and long lasting impact in our community.

 

Being teenagers who  have recently been exposed to the inconvenient biological process of monthly periods, it seemed very apt to take up the issue of luxury taxes levied on feminine hygiene products. This affects all adolescent girls and women and taxing these products is not at all justified because these certainly are not luxuries, but absolute necessities. 

 

This issue is not only in Texas, but also in many other states and countries. While most have the tampon tax, some have removed it. We are pushing the issue here in Texas, but we hope to make it a universal change. As of the new 2019 Texas state legislative session House Bill 311 and Senate Bill 146 have been introduced and are waiting to be directed to a committee and reviewed to determine if they will get a hearing, if you would like to learn more about the process of how a bill becomes a law in Texas, check out this helpful little info graphic.

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As of October 2018, there are 10 states that have eliminated the tampon tax: Minnesota, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, California, Connecticut and Florida. (Some states don't have any sales tax at all: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon.) Let's add Texas to the list! Check our pages and see how you can help!

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