A new Menstrual Health State Report Card for each state was released by Days for Girls International in partnership with ISSA, the Association for Cleaning and Facility Solutions. The report reveals significant gaps in how states address period poverty, while pointing to clear, bipartisan solutions already working across the country.

The report cards evaluate all 50 states across five core policy areas:

1. menstrual product taxation
2. provision of products in schools
3. provision in public buildings
4. provision in incarceration facilities
5. Good Samaritan liability protections for donated menstrual products

The findings are stark: Nearly one-third of states received an overall grade of “D” or below, while only five states earned an “A” or “A-” for their menstrual health policy landscape.

“This is a policy blind spot for many states, and one that can be fixed through advocacy and awareness,” said Jess Strait, Days for Girls International senior global advocacy manager. “These report cards show that menstrual health remains one of the few bipartisan bridge-builders in American politics today.”

Despite uneven progress nationwide, the report highlights that these policies do not follow partisan lines. For each policy category measured, both Republican- and Democrat-led states achieved top scores, demonstrating that access to period products is a shared public health and dignity issue—not a political wedge.

“These report cards make something unmistakably clear—that making period products as available as toilet paper and paper towels is not only the right thing to do but it is also good public policy,” said John Nothdurft, Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at ISSA. “The cleaning and facility solutions industry has a critical role to play in addressing period poverty because our industry manages restrooms, supply chains, and procurement decisions in buildings across America. When states increase access to period products in public facilities, it’s our industry that implements those policies on the ground. We need clear, consistent legislation that allows us to ensure dignity and access for everyone who walks through the doors of the buildings we serve.”

The Menstrual Health State Report Cards are designed as a practical advocacy tool, translating complex statutes into an accessible, state-by-state snapshot that policymakers, advocates, and stakeholders can use to drive reform. Each state’s report card includes tailored recommendations to improve scores and expand access—from eliminating the tampon tax to ensuring free menstrual products in schools and public buildings.

Click here for the full Menstrual Health State Report Cards and state‑specific recommendations.

To learn more about ISSA’s campaign to End Period Poverty, contact John Nothdurft.

President Trump’s new pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Erica Schwartz, is a public health veteran who has led vaccination programs, a sign of the administration’s shifting views on vaccines. The CDC director traditionally has the final say on U.S. vaccine policy, Reuters reported.

Schwartz served as deputy surgeon general during the ‌COVID-19 pandemic and was involved in the federal pandemic response, helping to coordinate national preparedness and public health efforts, Reuters reported. She also spent 24 years in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as a rear admiral in the Coast Guard. The doctor holds a medical degree from Brown University and a law degree from the University of Maryland, CNN reported.

Schwartz’s nomination came hours after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presented a more supportive message of vaccines during a congressional hearing on April 16, calling the measles shot safe and effective “for most people,” according to CNN.

Reuters also reported that Trump was naming healthcare executive Sean Slovenski as CDC deputy director CEO, Texas Health Commissioner Jen Shuford ​as CDC deputy director and chief medical officer, and Food and Drug Administration official Sara Brenner as senior counselor for public health to Kennedy.

The nominations follow a Massachusetts judge blocking key parts of Kennedy’s effort to reshape U.S. vaccine policy in March. The U.S. judge halted a move to reduce the number of shots routinely recommended fo