Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act of 2022
This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to pay for travel, childcare, and other expenses of an individual seeking access to abortion services.
Eligible grant recipients must be nonprofit or community-based organizations that assist individuals seeking abortion services through programs that are unbiased and medically and factually accurate.
The grants may not be used to pay for abortion procedures.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8452 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8452
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to eligible
entities to pay for travel-related expenses and logistical support for
individuals with respect to accessing abortion services, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 20, 2022
Ms. Strickland (for herself, Mrs. Fletcher, and Ms. Bush) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to eligible
entities to pay for travel-related expenses and logistical support for
individuals with respect to accessing abortion services, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act
of 2022''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) On June 24, 2022, in its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson
Women's Health Organization, the Supreme Court overruled Roe v.
Wade, reversing decades of precedent recognizing the
constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy.
(2) The abortion access landscape was already strained.
This decision will decimate access for millions of people in
the United States. Roughly half of States are predicted to ban
or severely restrict abortion in the coming months.
(3) The implications of this decision will fall hardest on
people who already face barriers to health care access,
particularly Black people, Indigenous people, and other people
of color, people with disabilities, people in rural areas,
young people, people with documentation barriers, and those
having difficulty making ends meet.
(4) People have always had abortions and always will, even
in the face of legal, financial, and logistical barriers, or
criminalization. While some will self-manage their abortions,
and have the option of using pills that are medically safe and
effective, many others are traveling hundreds of miles out of
State, or forced to carry pregnancies to term.
(5) Abortion funds and practical support funds are
community-based organizations that support people in overcoming
financial and logistical barriers to abortion care.
(6) Funds work together to remove financial and logistical
barriers to abortion access and have been doing this work for
years. Some of these barriers are, but are not limited to,
transportation, food, lodging, childcare, translation, and
doula services.
(7) Many funds are led by people who have had abortions
themselves, including a growing base of Black and Brown leaders
who have themselves faced abortion obstacles and understand the
complex circumstances callers may face.
(8) Abortion funds have a history of being underresourced
and rely mostly on volunteer time and energy to support
communities.
(9) Abortion and practical support funds hold some of the
closest ties to people who are having abortions and have the
first-hand experience, up-to-date and on-the-ground knowledge,
and the regional and national connections needed to support
abortion seekers financially, emotionally, or logistically.
(10) Clinics in States where abortion is legal and more
accessible are receiving an influx of people seeking abortions.
Provider shortages plus this rapid increase in patients will
cause longer waits for appointments.
(11) When people are not able to access an abortion when
they need it, they are often pushed much further into
pregnancy. This increases costs exponentially. For many, the
increased financial burden will push abortion care completely
out of reach.
(12) A rapidly changing access landscape, as bans are
implemented and challenged, means that the window to access
care in certain States may be limited. People who are put in a
position where they must postpone their care due to financial
or other constraints may face appointment cancellations due to
overnight changes in legality.
(13) Funds often work with each other if they cannot fully
assist a caller, or if a caller is traveling across regions. A
national network of almost 100 abortion and practical support
funds has demonstrated these funds are uniquely positioned to
lead in this moment and need support.
SEC. 3. GRANTS TO PAY FOR TRAVEL EXPENSES AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT FOR
INDIVIDUALS ACCESSING ABORTION SERVICES.
Part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
254b et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Subpart XIII--Accessing Abortion Services
``SEC. 340J. GRANTS TO PAY FOR TRAVEL EXPENSES AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT
FOR INDIVIDUALS ACCESSING ABORTION SERVICES.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary may award grants to eligible
entities to pay for travel-related expenses and logistical support for
individuals with respect to accessing abortion services.
``(b) Timing.--Beginning not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall solicit applications for
grants under this section.
``(c) Use of Funds.--
``(1) Permissible uses.--An eligible entity receiving a
grant under this section shall use the grant for travel-related
expenses and logistical support for individuals with respect to
accessing abortion services, which may include any of the
following expenses and support:
``(A) Round trip travel to the location where the
abortion services are provided.
``(B) Lodging.
``(C) Meals.
``(D) Childcare.
``(E) Translation services.
``(F) Doula care.
``(G) Patient education and information services.
``(2) Organizational costs.--An eligible entity receiving a
grant under this section may use up to, but not more than, 15
percent of the grant funds to cover organizational costs such
as--
``(A) community outreach efforts;
``(B) physical infrastructure construction and
maintenance;
``(C) website development and maintenance; and
``(D) increasing staff capacity and training.
``(3) Impermissible uses.--An eligible entity receiving a
grant under this section shall not use the grant for costs of
an abortion procedure.
``(d) Applications.--To seek a grant under this section, an
eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application in such
form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
``(e) Priority.--In selecting the recipients of grants under this
section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that--
``(1) serve people who live in a jurisdiction that has
banned or severely restricted access to abortion;
``(2) serve people who travel to a jurisdiction other than
the one where they live to be provided abortion services; or
``(3) have a program in operation, or submit as part of the
application required under subsection (d) a plan to establish
and operate a program, to help patients access abortion
services.
``(f) Annual Reports to Congress.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the
Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report on the program
under this section.
``(2) Confidentiality.--The reports under paragraph (1)
shall not include any individually identifiable information.
``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `eligible entity'--
``(A) means a nonprofit organization, or a
community-based organization, that assists individuals
seeking an abortion through programs, services, or
activities that are unbiased and medically and
factually accurate; and
``(B) excludes any entity that discourages
individuals from seeking an abortion.
``(2) The term `nonprofit organization' means an
organization that--
``(A) is described in subsection (c)(3) of section
501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
``(B) is, under subsection (a) of such section,
exempt from taxation.
``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $300,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2023 through 2027.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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