(WXYZ) — Another effort to combat so-called "period poverty" is making its way through Lansing. A bipartisan pair of bills would eliminate any tax on feminine hygiene products like tampons or pads.
This isn't the first time bills like this have gone through the state legislature, but many have failed before. This time, though, the sponsors feel different.
Democratic State Rep. Tenisha Yancey said her bill would get rid of the use tax on the products, and she said the biggest sign of hope is the bipartisan nature of the measures.
Feminine hygiene products aren't subject to any special tax, but they also aren't exempt from things like a sales and use tax.
Yancey said she'd like Michigan to join nearly two dozen other states where these products aren't taxed at all, on the basis that they're necessities and women need them for basic health.
On the other side of the aisle, Yancey's Republican colleague, State Rep. Bryan Posthumus of Oakfield Township, is sponsoring another bill, this one to eliminate the 6% sales tax on these products.
Yancey re-introduced her bill this session. There have been efforts to try and move some form of this legislation through for more than five years.
Its next stop is a committee, then the House floor, where Yancey thinks it might finally get enough support.
"Now that it's bipartisan, it's getting more support than it has in the past, much more support than it ever has," she said.
They're expecting a vote in committee this week.
