Beginning in 2023, period products and diapers will be exempt from sales tax in Colorado – thanks to legislation signed into law on Friday.

House Bill 1055 expands sales tax exemptions for the products, including tampons, pads, menstrual cups, sponges, sanitary napkins and panty liners, as well as adult and youth diapers starting on Jan. 1 of next year.

“For too long, too many Coloradans have been going without period products, diapers and essential hygiene products,” said Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, who sponsored the bill. “Our law slashes the state sales tax on these items because they’re essential for millions of people. Together, we’re moving closer to a future of affordable hygiene products for all.”

Nationally, one in four teenagers reported missing school because they did not have access to period products, according to a 2019 study commissioned by Thinx and PERIOD. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in three American families could not afford needed diapers, said the baby gear nonprofit WeeCycle.

Colorado families spend an average of $15 per month on period products per family member who needs them, according to the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. For diapers, families spend approximately $75 per month per child. The state estimates the new tax exemption will save Colorado consumers approximately $9.1 million annually.

Other products currently exempt from sales tax in Colorado are unprepared food, corrective eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids and medications, including Viagra.

“Every Coloradan deserves to live with dignity, but for far too many, their inability to pay for basic human needs like period products and diapers means they can’t,” said bill sponsor Sen. Faith Winter, D-Westminster. “This is a commonsense step in the right direction that will help countless families afford these products so they can maintain their own health and care for their loved ones.”

The bill received substantial bipartisan support in the legislature, passing the Senate in a 26-9 vote and the House in a 50-13 vote. In both chambers, only Republican lawmakers voted against the bill. 

Opponents in the Senate did not explain their “no” votes, but in the House, many said the bill doesn’t go far enough to save families money and that it should also provide tax exemptions for baby formula.