{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-duckworth-underwood-reignite-push-to-expand-access-to-contraceptive-care-for-veterans", "Hirono, Duckworth, Underwood Reignite Push to Expand Access to Contraceptive Care for Veterans", "2025-09-30", "2025", "2025-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Mazie K. Hirono", "H001042", "www.hirono.senate.gov", "hirono", "https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), both members of the Senate Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs, along with Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL) in reintroducing legislation that would improve Veterans\u2019 access to contraception and increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness for contraceptive products at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Access to Contraception Expansion for Veterans (ACE Veterans) Act would allow Veterans to request a full-year supply of contraceptive products from the VA\u2014the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States\u2014and require VA providers to inform patients of their option to request a full year of contraception at the time of the prescription being issued.\n\n\u201cAs the Trump Administration and Republicans across the country work to limit or ban access to contraception, legislation like the ACE Veterans Act is more important than ever,\u201d said Senator Hirono. \u201cOur veterans shouldn\u2019t have to face barriers to accessing contraception or experience gaps between prescription refills. I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing this bill to help ensure the people who bravely served our country can access the critical preventive care they need.\u201d\n\nMissing more than two consecutive contraceptive pills can increase a woman\u2019s chance of contraceptive failure and the potential for unintended pregnancy, which has been linked to adverse health effects including maternal depression, intimate partner violence, low birth weight, preterm birth and infant mortality. In 2022, the VA expanded the amount of oral contraceptives patients can receive to a 12-month supply\u2014this marked important progress, but the policy still allows for more restrictive dispensing limitations, depending on the type of contraceptive.\n\nThe VA\u2019s current policy also doesn\u2019t require its providers to inform patients they have the option to receive a 12-month supply of certain contraceptives at the time the prescription is issued. By addressing these two weaknesses in the current VA policy, the ACE Veterans Act would help women Veterans get the contraceptive care they need and reduce their rate of unintended pregnancies\u2014improving the reliability of our heroes\u2019 health care and saving a substantial amount of taxpayer dollars.\n\nAlong with Senators Hirono and Duckworth, the legislation is cosponsored by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), John Fetterman (D-PA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).\n\nThe ACE Veterans Act is endorsed by AMVETS, Service Womens Action Network, Women Veterans Interactive and the National Women\u2019s Law Center.\n\nThe full text of the legislation is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-duckworth-underwood-reignite-push-to-expand-access-to-contraceptive-care-for-veterans"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.319145016372204, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}