BLOOMINGTON — After an Indiana bill to strip the tax off feminine hygiene products and adult diapers was proposed and shot down in 2024, a new bill is trying to bring the tax exemption back. This time, it might just work.

Republican House Representative, Mark Genda, looks to bring this bill back to life with Indiana General Assembly HB 1042. HB 1042, a bill part of the Indiana budget proposal, looks to strip the tax off numerous feminine hygiene products and adult diapers. Some of the listed feminine hygiene products include tampons, pads or panty liners, menstrual cups, and sanitary napkins.

The International Sanitary Supply Association found that the average women will spend anywhere from $4,500 to $9,000 in her lifetime on feminine hygiene products, depending on her cycle length and flow. In addition, Indiana is tied with both Mississippi and Tennessee for the highest feminine hygiene product sales tax in the country. For some Hoosiers, a tax exemption on these products could help their budgets significantly..

Genda’s two sisters, Becky and Candy, and his parents were on his mind while he authored this bill.

With two older sisters, Genda was no stranger to conversations surrounding feminine hygiene. Genda said one situation, where he had to pick up feminine hygiene products for his older sister at the age of 10, introduced him to the issue. He explained the event as “embarrassing” at the time, but a stepping stone for his understanding of feminine issues now.

Genda also explained that caring for his parents as they grew old helped him author this bill as well. The adult hygiene products he purchased for them throughout the years helped him understand that those products are just as important as feminine hygiene products.

Genda praised Indiana Democratic State Senator, Shelli Yoder, for her attempt to pass a similar bill into law just last year. SB 0203, authored by Yoder, died in the committee last spring. Genda said that Yoder deserves credit for originally bringing this bill to the Senate, though this issue is something Genda has been thinking of bringing into law for a while.

Genda also stressed the importance of his bill passing, as he hopes it will show respect to women. With feminine hygiene products primarily used by women, it can often feel like a “women’s issue,” but Genda wants women to feel supported. He feels it is important that a man raise awareness of this issue, explaining that natural feminine issues should not be “taboo.”

HB 1042 has passed the House of Representatives, where Genda currently sits, but is still waiting to pass the Senate. If it passes the Senate, the bill will be enacted into the Indiana state budget plan and will go into effect on July 1, 2025.