,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dibb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #bd1 #bjbf,ms4 ,baldwin 7for herself1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,padilla1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 and ,mr4 ,sanders7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to authorize grants to eligible entities to pay for travel-related expenses and practical 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 #bjbf4 #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 reversing decades of precedent and eliminating the constitutional right to abortion4 7#b7 ,almost overnight1 the ,dobbs decision decimated the abortion access landscape for millions of people in the ,united ,states4 ,since the ,dobbs decision1 #ac ,states have effectively banned abortion and many more have severe restrictions in place that make care inaccessible4 7#c7 ,because of severe restrictions and bans on abortion1 dozens of clinics have been forced to close or stop providing abortions4 ,thousands of people are forced to travel farther away from their homes1 communities1 and support networks1 at great risk to their health and well-being4 ,others are not able to get an abortion at all and have been forced to stay pregnant against their will4 7#d7 ,the amount of time and distance abortion seekers must travel is increasing and becoming more difficult to overcome4 ,before the ,dobbs decision1 less than #a percent of the ,united ,states population was more than #bjj miles from a health care provider1 and the average person was only #be miles from a provider4 ,after the ,dobbs decision1 #ad percent of the ,united ,states population is more than #bjj miles from the nearest abortion provider1 and the average person is #hf miles from a provider4 7#e7 ,in #bjbe1 #adb1jjj people traveled across ,state lines to obtain an abortion4 ,this includes #fb1jjj people living in ,states with total bans1 more than double the number who traveled from these ,states prior to the ,dobbs decision4 ,because of the concentration of bans in the ,southeast and ,midwest1 many people are traveling across multiple ,state lines1 requiring hundreds of miles of travel each way4 7#f7 ,the consequences of the ,dobbs decision fall hardest on people who already face the most barriers to health care due to systemic barriers and discrimination1 including ,black people1 ,indigenous people1 people of color1 people with disabilities1 people in rural areas1 young people1 people who are immigrants or undocumented1 ,,lgbtq people1 people who are parenting1 people with complex medical needs who require hospital-based care1 and people having difficulty making ends meet4 7#g7 ,longer travel times1 combined with other immense barriers1 increase the cost of transportation1 food1 lodging1 and childcare1 and increase the amount of lost wages4 ,these barriers can also push abortion care later into pregnancy1 increasing the cost of care4 ,this heightened cost pushes abortion care out of reach for many people without financial and practical assistance4 7#h7 ,the harm of being denied a wanted abortion is well researched and established4 ,being denied a wanted abortion means those individuals are more likely to experience poverty1 have worse health outcomes1 and are more likely to remain in abusive relationships4 7#i7 ,even before the ,dobbs decision1 abortion was extremely difficult to access because of medically unnecessary bans and restrictions1 including arbitrary limits on when someone can get an abortion1 how abortions can be provided1 and bans on insurance coverage for abortions like the ,hyde ,amendment1 among many others4 7#aj7 ,abortion funds and practical support organizations 7in this section referred to as abortion funds7 exist for this reason4 ,abortion funds are community-based organizations that directly support people seeking abortions4 ,they provide a wide range of support1 including funding for abortions and practical support such as transportation1 food1 lodging1 childcare1 translation services1 doula services1 and more4 ,abortion funds collaborate at the local1 regional1 national1 and international levels to support people seeking abortions4 ,many abortion funds are led by people who have had abortions themselves and understand the complex circumstances abortion seekers face1 including a growing number of ,black and ,brown leaders4 7#aa7 ,since the ,dobbs decision1 as tens of thousands more abortion seekers are being forced to travel across ,state lines for their abortions each year1 the cost of supporting abortion seekers has more than doubled4 ,on average1 abortion funds provide nearly #djj for each abortion seeker1 with many abortion funds having to pool resources to get people the care they need4 7#ab7 ,abortion funds are navigating an increasingly hostile landscape that is causing the costs of care to rise4 ,since the ,dobbs decision1 abortion funds have doubled the number of abortion seekers they support4 ,in #bjbe alone1 abortion funds provided over #fc1jjj1jjj in funding for abortions1 over #ad1jjj1jjj of that was for practical support4 7#ac7 ,despite the efforts of abortion funds1 thousands of people are still unable to get the resources they need to have their abortions4 ,according to the ,national ,network of ,abortion ,funds1 in #bjbe1 nearly one-third of the abortion funds in their network reported they have been forced to temporarily close1 sometimes repeatedly1 and were unable to meet the needs of large numbers of callers because of a lack of funding1 legal shifts1 staff capacity1 burnout1 and security concerns4 7#ad7 ,abortion funds have been severely underresourced and underinvested in1 despite being uniquely positioned to support abortion seekers1 as they have been doing for decades4 ,many rely on volunteer time and individual donations to support abortion seekers and their communities4 #c4 ,grants to pay for travel expenses and practical 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 practical 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 practical 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 receive 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 #bjbg through #bjca4