Provides for free feminine hygiene products under certain circumstances; appropriates $500,000.
Assembly Bill 4822 would require the provision of free feminine hygiene products in a range of public and private settings in New Jersey. The bill applies to institutions of higher education, large private employers with 100 or more employees, publicly accessible restrooms in State buildings, certain State agencies that receive federal block grants, State and county correctional facilities, and Medicaid participants. It also creates a Department of Health competitive grant program for colleges, with at least half of the grants directed to community colleges, and appropriates $500,000 for that purpose.
The bill defines feminine hygiene products broadly to include sanitary napkins, tampons, panty liners, menstrual cups, and menstrual disks. It also requires reporting in several areas, including a one-year best-practices report from colleges receiving grant funds and effectiveness reports from State agencies distributing products or stipends. In addition, it amends existing correctional-facility statutes to require free access to these products for female inmates and detainees, while leaving in place and restating other correctional policies related to pregnancy, visitation, restraints, trauma-informed care, and reentry support.
If enacted, the bill would add new statutory requirements across education, labor, public buildings, corrections, social services, and Medicaid administration. It would expand obligations on colleges, employers, and State facilities to stock or distribute menstrual products, and it would direct the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services to administer grant, waiver, and Medicaid-related implementation efforts. The bill would also amend P.L.2019, c.288, specifically the provisions codified at N.J.S.A. 30:1B-6.8 and 30:1B-6.9, to expressly require free feminine hygiene products in State and county correctional facilities.
The bill’s overall thrust is supportive and public-health-oriented, with the text emphasizing access, economic security, and basic needs for menstruating individuals. Although there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, the bill’s structure suggests a policy consensus around expanding access in schools, workplaces, and public institutions. The appropriation and reporting requirements indicate an implementation-focused approach rather than a purely symbolic measure.
The main points of potential contention are likely fiscal and administrative. Requiring free products in colleges, large private employers, State buildings, correctional facilities, and Medicaid-related programs could raise cost and compliance concerns, especially for employers and agencies that must stock products in a large share of restrooms or create new distribution systems. The Medicaid and federal block grant provisions may also draw scrutiny because they depend on federal approvals, waivers, or funding participation. No specific opposing arguments are documented in the provided materials, but these implementation and funding issues are the most likely areas of debate.