Effective July 1, 2020, Washington has enacted a permanent exemption for feminine hygiene products. “Feminine hygiene products” means sanitary napkins, tampons, menstrual cups, or any other similar products sold at retail designed specifically to catch menstrual flow either internally or externally. The legislation states that taxing a necessary feminine hygiene product unjustly adds an additional tax burden on females that creates a tax gap between genders, requiring females to potentially pay more of their income to state taxes. The legislation additionally states that taxing feminine hygiene products adds to the regressive tax burden on low-income families. The legislature also states that feminine hygiene products are not a discretionary purchase but are rather a necessity. (S.B. 5147, Laws 2020, effective July 1, 2020)