HR 525

                                                  PRINTER'S NO.   3410
             THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
      HOUSE RESOLUTION
         No. 525
                                            Session of
                                              2026
INTRODUCED BY HILL-EVANS, T. DAVIS, MULLINS, PASHINSKI,
   HANBIDGE, BURGOS, GUZMAN, KHAN, NEILSON, MAYES AND HOWARD,
   MAY 13, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, MAY 14, 2026
                             A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the week of September 14 through 20, 2026, as
2    "Diaper Need Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.
3    WHEREAS, "Diaper Need Awareness Week" brings attention to the
4 insufficient supply of disposable diapers for children and
5 incontinent adults of this Commonwealth; and
6    WHEREAS, The National Diaper Bank Network, a national
7 nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every baby in
8 the United States can be clean, healthy and dry, reports that
9 one in two families suffers from diaper need; and
10    WHEREAS, Access to a reliable supply of clean diapers is a
11 necessity for the health and well-being of infants and toddlers,
12 incontinent adults, their families, child-care providers and
13 health care providers; and
14    WHEREAS, Children and incontinent adults who are living in
15 households with little or no access to diapers could develop
16 significant potential health risks such as severe diaper rash
17 and bacterial and yeast infections; and
1    WHEREAS, Most public resources, such as food stamps, the
2 Women, Infants and Children program and Medicare, do not cover
3 the cost of these necessary items; and
4    WHEREAS, Estimates show that disposable diapers cost as much
5 as $100 per child per month and incontinence products can cost
6 as much as $1,000 per year; and
7    WHEREAS, Approximately 46% of families suffering from diaper
8 needs have reported cutting down on other expenditures,
9 including food and utilities, to afford diapers; and
10    WHEREAS, Infants or toddlers can require up to 84 diaper
11 changes per week over three years; and
12    WHEREAS, A supply of diapers is usually a requirement for
13 infants and toddlers to attend and participate in child-care
14 programs, which studies linked to higher education levels; and
15    WHEREAS, One in four parents miss work or school because they
16 cannot afford diapers required for their infants and toddlers to
17 participate in child-care programs, which has a negative impact
18 on the economy; and
19    WHEREAS, Families living in poverty often do not have access
20 to personal washing machines, and most coin-operated laundromats
21 do not allow customers to wash cloth diapers for sanitary
22 reasons; and
23    WHEREAS, Community organizations across this Commonwealth are
24 doing their part to help with this epidemic by hosting diaper
25 donation drives, which are critical in providing these essential
26 materials to working families and incontinent adults in need,
27 and raising awareness about the real implications of a widening
28 diaper supply gap; and
29    WHEREAS, The National Diaper Bank Network is committed to
30 working with community groups and raising awareness of the
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1 diaper gap in America by building the capacity of community-
2 based diaper banks to serve families throughout this
3 Commonwealth; and
4    WHEREAS, There are more than 240 diaper banks recognized by
5 the National Diaper Bank Network, distributing more than 150
6 million diapers annually; and
7    WHEREAS, This Commonwealth has 10 diaper banks that are
8 recognized and are active members of the National Diaper Bank
9 Network, distributing more than 12 million diapers per year to
10 communities across this Commonwealth; and
11    WHEREAS, These diaper banks require community support and
12 donations of diapers and money to allow them to continue to
13 serve our communities; therefore be it
14    RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
15 week of September 14 through 20, 2026, as "Diaper Need Awareness
16 Week" in Pennsylvania; and be it further
17    RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
18 efforts of Pennsylvania's 10 diaper banks, the National Diaper
19 Bank Network and all community organizations working to address
20 the diaper gap in Pennsylvania; and be it further
21    RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage the
22 residents of this Commonwealth to support community
23 organizations and participate in diaper drives to help improve,
24 enhance and expand access to diapers for our Commonwealth's
25 children and incontinent adults.
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