North Dakota
Looking Back: Why ‘Tampon Tax’ bill did not pass last year
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – For half of the world, menstruating is just a normal part of life. For others, it’s a political divide, and for some, it’s the worry in the back of their head that they won’t have the supplies they need to get through the week.
About a year ago, North Dakota state representatives voted on a bill sometimes referred to as the Tampon Tax. The bill proposed eliminating the sales tax attached to feminine sanitary products like tampons and pads.
Marty Boeckel testified during the hearing, speaking on behalf of the organization Days for Girls International in support of the bill.
“Girls and women and other menstruators— for them, this is a necessity. We cannot stop our periods, we cannot live without adequate products,” Boeckel said.
At 56 to 33 votes, the bill didn’t pass.
Boeckel said out of the approximate 372,000 women in North Dakota, about 174,000 of them menstruate.
The U.S. Census Bureau said as of 2022, 11.5 percent of North Dakotans live in poverty.
Boeckel said any women or girls in that number probably also struggle to get the period supplies they need.
At the time the bill was up for vote, a similar bill about making diapers tax-exempt was also up for vote.
Some representatives who voted on those bills spoke with KFYR about the bill.
“A lot of these tax reductions are just reducing in one sector, and then it just piles onto another sector, so it’s not really true tax relief,” Rep. Dick Anderson said.
Other representatives said it’s important to remember there was a separate tax relief conversation on the table during the same session.
“Trying to weight the pros and cons of it through that lens at the time, and I put more emphasis on the tax cut for all North Dakotans,” Rep. Jared Hagert said.
Representative Zachary Ista was one of the 33 representatives who voted for the bill to pass. He said the slippery slope argument is faulty since things we already exempt certain necessary products, like food, from sales tax.
“For about half the state of North Dakota, at some point in their lives, they’re going to need period products like tampons. It’s an absolute necessity for women in North Dakota, and it makes no sense to me that we would subject it to sales tax when we carve out sales tax for other things,” Rep. Zachary Ista said.
The diaper bill that was voted on during the same session passed at 88 to 6.
A 45-count box of Kotex tampons at Walmart costs nearly $10 right now before the 70 cents in sales tax. A 44-count box of diapers there costs nearly $10 with no sales tax.
You can find more information about donating to Days for Girls on either their website or their Facebook page.
Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.
Submitted Photo
U.S. soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28. N.D. National Guard 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, front row, far left, served as the officer in charge of the mission when soldiers assigned to JTF-DC responded to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner April 25. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris.
WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.
The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contribution of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage relating to the presidential administration.
“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.
As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance.
“They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”
Staff Sgt. Kirsten Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”
According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensured that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.
“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge for the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had five inside, eight outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and, alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his soldiers allowed him to move to different teams, which helped allow him to plan and coordinate with different agencies.
According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the staging of the presidential motorcade. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the president and administration officials, he said.
“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”
FARGO, N.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Stampede staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime win over the Fargo Force in game four of the USHL Western Conference Finals Saturday night.
Thomas Zocco scored the game-winner 12 minutes into the extra period. Arseni Marchenko put Fargo on the board first in the first period. Noah Mannausau tied the game for the Herd in the second period.
Sioux Falls outshot Fargo 53-49, including 9-5 in overtime. Linards Feldbergs made 48 saves.
Three of the four games of the series have gone to overtime. The winner-take-all game five is Tuesday at the Premier Center.
New ballot measure guide to be mailed to North Dakota voters ahead of election
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