S. 4922

119 S4922 IS: Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act of 2026
 U.S. Senate
 2026-06-24
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 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 4922  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   June 24, 2026   Ms. Baldwin  (for herself,  Mrs. Murray ,  Mr. Padilla ,  Ms. Hirono ,  Mr. Blumenthal ,  Mr. Merkley , and  Mr. Sanders ) 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 practical support for individuals with respect to accessing abortion services, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act of 2026  .
2.
Findings
Congress finds as follows:
(1)
On June 24, 2022, in its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (142 S. Ct. 2228 (2022)) (referred to in this section as the  Dobbs decision ), the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113 (1973)), reversing decades of precedent and eliminating the constitutional right to abortion.
(2)
Almost overnight, the Dobbs decision decimated the abortion access landscape for millions of people in the United States. Since the Dobbs decision, 13 States have effectively banned abortion and many more have severe restrictions in place that make care inaccessible.
(3)
Because of severe restrictions and bans on abortion, dozens of clinics have been forced to close or stop providing abortions. Thousands of people are forced to travel farther away from their homes, communities, and support networks, at great risk to their health and well-being. Others are not able to get an abortion at all and have been forced to stay pregnant against their will.
(4)
The amount of time and distance abortion seekers must travel is increasing and becoming more difficult to overcome. Before the Dobbs decision, less than 1 percent of the United States population was more than 200 miles from a health care provider, and the average person was only 25 miles from a provider. After the Dobbs decision, 14 percent of the United States population is more than 200 miles from the nearest abortion provider, and the average person is 86 miles from a provider.
(5)
In 2025, 142,000 people traveled across State lines to obtain an abortion. This includes 62,000 people living in States with total bans, more than double the number who traveled from these States prior to the Dobbs decision. Because of the concentration of bans in the Southeast and Midwest, many people are traveling across multiple State lines, requiring hundreds of miles of travel each way.
(6)
The consequences of the Dobbs decision fall hardest on people who already face the most barriers to health care due to systemic barriers and discrimination, including Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, people with disabilities, people in rural areas, young people, people who are immigrants or undocumented, LGBTQ+ people, people who are parenting, people with complex medical needs who require hospital-based care, and people having difficulty making ends meet.
(7)
Longer travel times, combined with other immense barriers, increase the cost of transportation, food, lodging, and childcare, and increase the amount of lost wages. These barriers can also push abortion care later into pregnancy, increasing the cost of care. This heightened cost pushes abortion care out of reach for many people without financial and practical assistance.
(8)
The harm of being denied a wanted abortion is well researched and established. Being denied a wanted abortion means those individuals are more likely to experience poverty, have worse health outcomes, and are more likely to remain in abusive relationships.
(9)
Even before the Dobbs decision, abortion was extremely difficult to access because of medically unnecessary bans and restrictions, including arbitrary limits on when someone can get an abortion, how abortions can be provided, and bans on insurance coverage for abortions like the Hyde Amendment, among many others.
(10)
Abortion funds and practical support organizations (in this section referred to as  abortion funds ) exist for this reason. Abortion funds are community-based organizations that directly support people seeking abortions. They provide a wide range of support, including funding for abortions and practical support such as transportation, food, lodging, childcare, translation services, doula services, and more. Abortion funds collaborate at the local, regional, national, and international levels to support people seeking abortions. Many abortion funds are led by people who have had abortions themselves and understand the complex circumstances abortion seekers face, including a growing number of Black and Brown leaders.
(11)
Since the Dobbs decision, as tens of thousands more abortion seekers are being forced to travel across State lines for their abortions each year, the cost of supporting abortion seekers has more than doubled. On average, abortion funds provide nearly $400 for each abortion seeker, with many abortion funds having to pool resources to get people the care they need.
(12)
Abortion funds are navigating an increasingly hostile landscape that is causing the costs of care to rise. Since the Dobbs decision, abortion funds have doubled the number of abortion seekers they support. In 2025 alone, abortion funds provided over $63,000,000 in funding for abortions, over $14,000,000 of that was for practical support.
(13)
Despite the efforts of abortion funds, thousands of people are still unable to get the resources they need to have their abortions. According to the National Network of Abortion Funds, in 2025, nearly one-third of the abortion funds in their network reported they have been forced to temporarily close, sometimes repeatedly, and were unable to meet the needs of large numbers of callers because of a lack of funding, legal shifts, staff capacity, burnout, and security concerns.
(14)
Abortion funds have been severely underresourced and underinvested in, despite being uniquely positioned to support abortion seekers, as they have been doing for decades. Many rely on volunteer time and individual donations to support abortion seekers and their communities.
3.
Grants to pay for travel expenses and practical 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 practical 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 practical 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.
(H)
Lost wages.
(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 receive 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
(1)
In general
The provisions of this section shall supersede 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.
(2)
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 State, Tribal, territorial, or local antiabortion proceeding, including any antiabortion investigation, prosecution, or civil lawsuit, relating to the activities carried out under such program or any individual or entity receiving or providing services under such program.
(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 2027 through 2031.