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Read. Follow. Verify.Allowing Greater Access to Safe and Effective Contraception Act
Last action · June 5, 2024: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 418.Sponsor: Joni Ernst
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill directs the FDA to prioritize the review of applications for over-the-counter oral contraceptives that are not for emergency use or abortion. It also mandates a GAO study on federal spending related to contraceptive services over the past 15 years.
The bill would change the regulatory approval process for certain oral contraceptives to become available over-the-counter for adults 18 and older, while requiring a comprehensive audit of federal contraceptive funding across multiple government programs.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Adults 18 and older
They may gain over-the-counter access to specific oral contraceptives if applications are approved under the new priority review process.
Minors under 18
They remain subject to existing prescription requirements for the contraceptive drugs covered by the bill.
Pharmaceutical companies
They may receive priority review and fee waivers for supplemental applications for qualifying oral contraceptives.
Key Facts
- The Secretary of Health and Human Services must prioritize review of supplemental applications for oral contraceptives intended for routine use.
- Priority review is excluded for emergency contraceptives or drugs approved for induced abortion.
- Drugs approved under this process would be available over-the-counter for individuals aged 18 and older.
- The FDA must waive application fees for drugs receiving this priority review.
Show all 8 facts
- Contraceptive drugs remain subject to prescription requirements for individuals under age 18.
- The Comptroller General must conduct a study on federal funding for contraception over the 15 years preceding the bill's enactment.
- The GAO report must cover funding from Medicare, Medicaid, Indian Health Service, Health Benefit Exchanges, Federally-qualified health centers, Title X, TANF, and TRICARE.
- The GAO report is due to Congress within one year of the bill's enactment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Would this bill make all birth control pills available over-the-counter?
Does this change access for minors?
What is the GAO study for?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently on floor. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Passed.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
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Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
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Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Regulatory Fast-Track for Contraceptives
The bill creates a specific carve-out for routine oral contraceptives to bypass standard FDA fee structures and review timelines, provided they are not linked to emergency use or abortion.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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