News Release

McGlinchey’s Women Attorneys Celebrate the Repeal of Louisiana’s “Pink Tax”

June 17, 2021

When the Louisiana Legislative Session came to a close on June 10, 2021, attorneys at McGlinchey had their eye on numerous bills relevant to their clients. One bill interesting several attorneys at McGlinchey, however, was not directly related to the practice of law.

On June 10, 2021, Louisiana’s Speaker of the House enrolled and signed House Bill 7 to be sent to the governor for executive approval. House Bill 7 eliminated what has come to be known as the “Pink Tax.” Currently, groceries and prescriptions in Louisiana are not taxed, while diapers (child and adult) and feminine hygiene products are, creating an imbalance in taxes on necessities for women. The Legislative Fiscal Office estimates that the state receives about $11.1 million dollars from the current tax of diapers and feminine hygiene products.

House Bill 7 was presented by Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman, with Barbara Reich Freiberg, Kyle M. Green, Jr., C. Denise Marcelle, Pat Moore, and Regina Ashford Barrow, to “provide for a state sales and use tax exemption for certain purchases of feminine hygiene products… [and] diapers.” This bill was presented during the Louisiana Legislative Session each of the four previous years before its approval this fifth year. With the adoption of House Bill 7 in May of 2021, Louisiana became the 23rd state, and only the second in the South (behind Florida) to offer such an exemption.

This particular legislation was monitored closely by a number of McGlinchey’s Louisiana attorneys, particularly Kristi Richard, Amanda Stout, and Zelma Frederick in the Baton Rouge office.

According to the 2020 ALICE Report for Louisiana, in 2018, 18% of Louisiana households were living below the Federal Poverty Level, and another 33% are ALICE households:  Asset Limited, Income Constrained Employed. These ALICE households earn above the Federal Poverty Level, but not enough to afford basic necessities.

“Elimination of the ‘Pink Tax’ will assist the one-third of Louisiana households who struggle to meet their basic needs by making diapers and feminine hygiene products more affordable,” noted Amanda Stout, incoming board chair for the Capital Area United Way, a participant in the 2020 ALICE project.  

The Junior Leagues of Baton Rouge and New Orleans, both operators of Diaper Banks, were instrumental in pushing House Bill 7 through the Legislature. “Through its Diaper Bank, the Junior League of Baton Rouge provides hundreds of thousands of diapers annually to area non-profits for distribution to those in need,” Zelma Frederick, past president of the Junior League of Baton Rouge, shared. “Diapers cannot be purchased with SNAP or WIC benefits. A family’s inability to secure this basic need for their children can adversely impact the parents’ ability to work, the child’s ability to attend daycare, as well as the child’s overall health.”

“McGlinchey Women’s Initiative supports our women attorneys’ active participation and leadership in local community organizations, especially in ways that promote opportunities for women and girls,” said Kristi Richard, co-chair of McGlinchey’s Women’s Initiative. “Amanda’s work with the Capital Area United Way and Zelma’s work with the Junior League of Baton Rouge highlight the ways our attorneys’ involvement leads to tangible results for the women and girls in the communities McGlinchey family members call home.”