[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8452 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.''.
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