Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, whose district includes the Hudson Highlands, personally spent $37.16 of his own money to supply restrooms at his office with tampons, as reported by the Highlands Current. However, the first time he submitted that $37.16 as an expense for reimbursement, he was denied. According to the article, the Committee on House Administration told Maloney “that tampons were not office supplies but personal-care items that did not qualify for reimbursement.”

That was in July of 2018. In February 2019, after an election changed the balance in the U.S. House of Representatives, Maloney challenged this logic, resubmitted the expense, and won. Members of the U.S. House can now purchase feminine hygiene products for their offices. The House Office Supply Store will also stock the feminine hygiene supplies.

According to a quote in that Highlands Current article, Maloney stated: “I want to make sure every office on the Hill is welcoming to female staff and visitors — and thanks to the generosity of the American people, they will be,” the Democrat said in a statement. “This issue is part of a much larger discussion about women’s rights in the workplace and the way women’s needs are treated.”

“We're Lucky That Men Sometimes Need Toilet Paper.”

While Maloney’s move is at the federal level, we reached out to a state worker and writer for A Little Beacon Blog, Kayleigh (Metviner) Zaloga, who added that pads and tampons had also been added to state offices this year as well. She provided the photos used in this article as proof that the feminine hygiene products had arrived and had been set up.

“I think it's an important step in the march toward gender equality,” said Kayleigh. “Sounds dramatic, I know, but the need for feminine hygiene products is simply non-negotiable, so recognizing that they are just another bathroom supply is recognizing that women's needs are human needs. If men needed pads and tampons, we wouldn't even be discussing whether or not they were included in the category of bathroom supplies. We're lucky that men sometimes need toilet paper, so it's been stocked in all bathrooms by default.”

New York School Districts Required To Supply Free Feminine Hygiene Products In Bathrooms

In July 2018, New York State law required school districts to supply feminine hygiene products for free in schools serving grades six to twelve. This was part of Governor Cuomo’s Women's Opportunity Agenda.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today reminded school leaders of a new law requiring all school districts, serving students grades six through twelve, to provide free feminine hygiene products in restrooms. As the school year begins, this new law will ensure all young women across the State have equal access to these essential products.

The governor sees this as “a step in addressing the issue of inequality and stigma. As the school year begins, we're reminding school districts to make sure that these items are provided to students.” Additionally mentioned in the governor’s press release reminding schools to supply these resources: “Research from the World Bank demonstrates that girls' inability to manage their menstrual hygiene in school results in absenteeism, which in turn has severe economic costs on their lives.”

It should be noted that even teachers and staff need feminine hygiene products just as much as they do toilet paper and paper towels to wipe hands after washing. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s move to make these products normal in the bathrooms of politicians’ offices may have a normalizing effect in many other areas.