Reproductive Justice Fund

At a glance

What: Funding for the Reproductive Justice Fund, a women's health program, in the FY 2027 budget.
Where it stands: A $500,000 a year amendment funded from Medicaid 1115 Waiver reserves was on the staff amendment list (total $1.0 million over two years); Council adopted the budget with it on September 17 without a separate vote.
Next: Jones and others had asked for $1 million; Walsh doubted that much could be spent in a year.

Fifteen speakers at the September 16 public comment session asked Council to allocate $1 million for the fund.
Jones proposed using later-year Medicaid waiver funding to pay for $1 million now; Walsh said he did not think $1 million could be spent because funds went unspent last time. Galvan worried about draining the waiver reserves, which Tate said would run out by 2029 for Oral Health, Stand-up SA, community nutrition and healthy neighborhoods programs.
Supporters: Jones, Mungia, McKee-Rodriguez (maternal health is underfunded), Castillo ($1 million), Alderete Gavito (as long as waiver funds are used) and Kaur.