,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dbfe ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #cj1 #bjbe,ms4 ,strickland 7for herself1 ,mrs4 ,fletcher1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,washington1 ,mr4 ,pocan1 ,mr4 ,cleaver1 ,ms4 ,titus1 ,ms4 ,crockett1 ,mr4 ,panetta1 ,ms4 ,kamlager-,dove1 ,ms4 ,snchez1 ,mr4 ,casten1 ,ms4 ,mc,clellan1 ,ms4 ,del,bene1 and ,mrs4 ,ramirez7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to authorize grants to eligible entities to pay for travel-related expenses and logistical support for individuals with respect to accessing abortion services1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,reproductive ,health ,travel ,fund ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds as follows3 7#a7 ,on ,june #bd1 #bjbb1 in its decision in ,dobbs v4 ,jackson ,women's ,health ,organization 7#adb ,s4 ,ct4 #bbbh 7#bjbb77 7referred to in this section as the ,dobbs decision71 the ,supreme ,court overturned ,roe v4 ,wade 7#daj ,u4,s4 #aac 7#aigc771 eliminating the constitutional right to abortion and reversing decades of precedent recognizing the constitutional right to an abortion4 7#b7 ,while abortion has never been accessible to all even under the framework of ,roe v4 ,wade1 the ,dobbs decision has decimated access for millions of people in the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,as expected1 the impacts of the ,dobbs decision have fallen the hardest on people who already face barriers to health care access due to systemic barriers and discrimination1 particularly ,black people1 ,indigenous people1 and other people of color1 people with disabilities1 people in rural areas1 young people1 people with documentation barriers1 ,,lgbtq people1 people who are parenting1 people with complex medical needs who require hospital-based care1 and people having difficulty making ends meet4 7#d7 ,abortion bans prevent many people from accessing the care they want and need4 7#e7 ,people have always had abortions and always will1 even in the face of legal1 financial1 and logistical barriers1 or criminalization4 ,however1 since the ,dobbs decision1 many are being forced to travel hundreds of miles away from their homes and communities1 taking extra time off of work1 forgoing days of pay1 piecing together extended childcare1 and finding ways to cover significant travel expenses4 ,others are being forced to carry their pregnancies to term4 7#f7 ,just months after the ,dobbs decision1 one-third of women of reproductive age in the ,united ,states faced excessive travel times for abortion4 ,for residents of ,states that had banned abortion1 travel times increased by more than #d hours on average4 ,black women faced the greatest impact1 with #dj percent needing to drive at least #a hour for abortion care after the decision1 versus #ae percent before the decision4 7#g7 ,abortion funds and practical support funds 7referred to in this section as abortion funds or funds7 are community-based organizations that support people in overcoming financial and logistical barriers to abortion care4 ,in #bjbd1 abortion funds provided over #ej1jjj1jjj for abortion funding and over #ac1jjj1jjj for logistical support4 7#h7 ,funds work together to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access and have been doing this work for decades4 ,funds help cover transportation1 food1 lodging1 childcare1 translation support1 doula services1 and other supports abortion seekers and their families need4 7#i7 ,many funds are led by people who have had abortions themselves1 including a growing base of ,black and ,brown leaders who have themselves faced abortion obstacles and understand the complex circumstances individuals may face4 7#aj7 ,abortion funds have a history of being under-resourced and rely mostly on volunteer time and energy to support communities4 7#aa7 ,abortion and practical support funds hold some of the closest ties to people who are having abortions and have the first hand experience1 up-to-date and on-the-ground knowledge1 and the regional and national connections needed to support abortion seekers financially1 emotionally1 or logistically4 7#ab7 ,more and more ,states are seeking to ban abortion or enact extreme restrictions1 significantly limiting the circumstances in which abortions are available4 ,furthermore1 people have been prevented from seeking care because of the confusion created by new and changing abortion restrictions1 misinformation1 disinformation1 and muddled judicial decisions1 all of which have contributed to a chilling effect for people seeking legal care out of ,state4 ,people seeking abortions often do not have a full understanding shifting legal landscape1 including abortion laws1 in their ,state4 ,people calling abortion funds for support often ask if they are doing something illegal by traveling to get care of the abortion laws in their ,state and people calling abortion funds for support often ask if they are doing something illegal by traveling to get care4 ,abortion funds serve to mitigate this confusion and directly connect people to accurate information4 7#ac7 ,following the ,dobbs decision1 the demand for abortions has surged1 with requests increasing by #ef percent from #bjbc to #bjbd4 ,during the same period1 the number of abortion seekers supported by abortion funds grew by #cc percent4 ,despite immense efforts from abortion funds from #bjbb to #bjbd1 the number of callers who received support decreased from #gj percent to #ed percent4 ,this is due to escalating costs of abortion care and practical support1 as well as inadequate funding to meet the post-,dobbs demand4 7#ad7 ,clinics in ,states where abortion is legal and more accessible continue to receive an influx of people seeking abortions4 7#ae7 ,when people are not able to access an abortion when they need it1 they may be forced to seek an abortion later into their pregnancy4 ,this increases costs exponentially4 ,barriers to abortion care after the ,dobbs decision have led to an increasing complexity in the cases that abortion funds are managing4 ,people who are forced to cross ,state lines for abortion care may need increased financial support for coordinating and paying for higher logistical barriers 7such as transportation1 lodging1 meals1 childcare1 medication7 to access the abortion care they want1 need1 and deserve4 ,for many1 the increased financial burden will push abortion care completely out of reach without financial and logistical assistance for appointment costs and travel4 #c4 ,grants to pay for travel expenses and logistical support for individuals accessing abortion services 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of the ,treasury 7referred to in this section as the ,secretary7 may award grants to eligible entities to pay for travel-related expenses and logistical support for individuals with respect to accessing abortion services4 7b7 ,timing ,beginning not later than #cj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall solicit applications for grants under this section4 7c7 ,use of funds 7#a7 ,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 services1 which may include any of the following expenses and support3 7,a7 ,round trip travel to the location where the abortion services are provided4 7,b7 ,lodging4 7,c7 ,meals4 7,d7 ,childcare4 7,e7 ,translation services4 7,f7 ,doula care4 7,g7 ,patient education and information services4 7,h7 ,lost wages4 7#b7 ,organizational costs ,an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section may use up to1 but not more than1 #ae percent of the grant funds to cover organizational costs such as-- 7,a7 community outreach efforts2 7,b7 physical infrastructure construction and maintenance2 7,c7 website development and maintenance2 and 7,d7 increasing staff capacity and training4 7#c7 ,impermissible uses ,an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall not use the grant for costs of an abortion procedure4 7d7 ,applications ,to seek a grant under this section1 an eligible entity shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7e7 ,priority ,in selecting the recipients of grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that-- 7#a7 serve individuals who live in a jurisdiction that has banned or severely restricted access to abortion2 7#b7 serve individuals who travel to a jurisdiction other than the one where they live to be provided abortion services2 or 7#c7 have a program in operation1 or submit as part of the application required under subsection 7d7 a plan to establish and operate a program1 to help individuals access abortion services4 7f7 ,annual reports to ,congress 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report on the program under this section4 7#b7 ,confidentiality ,the reports under paragraph 7#a7 shall not include any individually identifiable information4 7g7 ,preemption 7#a7 ,in general ,the provisions of this section shall supersede any provision of ,state1 ,tribal1 territorial1 or local law that would have the effect of prohibiting any use of funds provided for under this section4 7#b7 ,prohibition on ,federal cooperation in antiabortion proceedings ,no ,federal agency or official engaged in carrying out the program under this section may cooperate with any ,state1 ,tribal1 territorial1 or local antiabortion proceeding1 including any antiabortion investigation1 prosecution1 or civil lawsuit1 relating to the activities carried out under such program or any individual or entity receiving or providing services under such program4 7h7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term eligible entity-- 7,a7 means a nonprofit organization1 or a community-based organization1 that assists individuals seeking an abortion through programs1 services1 or activities that are unbiased and medically and factually accurate2 and 7,b7 excludes any entity that discourages individuals from seeking an abortion4 7#b7 ,the term nonprofit organization means an organization that-- 7,a7 is described in subsection 7c77#c7 of section #eja of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf2 and 7,b7 is1 under subsection 7a7 of such section1 exempt from taxation4 7i7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #cej1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4