[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5227 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5227

  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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 8, 2022

Ms. Baldwin (for herself, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Merkley, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. 
  Sanders, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms. Smith, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Hirono, Mr. 
  Brown, and Mrs. Feinstein) introduced the following bill; which was 
 read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
                              and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  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 has decimated access for millions of people in 
        the United States. More than half of States are predicted to 
        ban or severely restrict abortion in the months and years 
        following the decision.
            (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 (referred to 
        in this section as ``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 
        decades. Some of these barriers are transportation, food, 
        lodging, childcare, translation, doula services, among other 
        barriers.
            (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 individuals 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.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in this 
section as 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 Act, 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 at such time, in 
such manner, 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 individuals who live in a jurisdiction that has 
        banned or severely restricted access to abortion;
            (2) serve individuals 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 individuals access abortion 
        services.
    (f) Annual Reports to Congress.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary 
        shall submit to Congress a report on the program under this 
        section.
            (2) Confidentiality.--The reports under paragraph (1) shall 
        not include any individually identifiable information.
    (g) Preemption.--The provisions of this section shall supercede any 
provision of State, Tribal, territorial, or local law that would have 
the effect of prohibiting any use of funds provided for under this 
section.
    (h) 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.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $350,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2023 through 2027.
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