Gold Award Girl Scout Proposes House Bill No. 2461 Concerning Taxation on Feminine Hygiene Products
WICHITA, Kan. — Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland congratulates Lauren S. for becoming a Gold Award Girl Scout, a designation she earned by introducing House Bill No. 2461 to the Kansas Taxation Committee to exempt hygiene products from Kansas State Sales Tax.
The Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable — earned by a high school Girl Scout who works to address an issue she’s passionate about in a way that produces meaningful and lasting change. Whether it’s on a local, national, or global level, Gold Award Girl Scouts provide innovative solutions to significant challenges.
“Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good — and Lauren embodies everything this achievement stands for," said Rolinda Sample, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland. “Lauren addressed an issue that’s important to her — accessibility of feminine hygiene products — for her Gold Award, and we congratulate her on this momentous accomplishment.”
As a Girl Scout who is passionate about making the world a better place and supporting fellow women, Lauren knew she wanted to take action at the state-level by lifting taxation on feminine hygiene products. With Kansas state sales tax at 6.5 percent, 4 million dollars are spent per year for women in the state of Kansas on sales tax for feminine hygiene products.
Lauren researched and created a plan where taxes can be removed from hygiene items and diapers by potentially increasing the tax rate on vape products. She gained support through an online petition and sponsorship through Representative Miller who introduced the bill on the House floor on Jan. 10, 2022. Lauren was also supported by Senator Ware, Representative Schmidt, and Representative Clayton.
“Although the bill died in committee in May, I really enjoyed knowing that I can make a change in my community and help people,” Lauren said. “We are formalizing a new plan of attack for Session 2022. We need to push this through Congress and get this bill passed because it will help so many people, especially in impoverished areas, so it can help them with the financial strain the tax causes and accessibility.”
