S.B. 162 – Sen. Patrick Colbeck
H.B. 4221 – Rep. Steven Johnson
Current Status
S.B. 162 was introduced on February 15, 2017 and referred to the Senate Oversight Committee. H.B. 4221 was also introduced on February 15, 2017, and referred to the House Appropriations Committee. A time frame for action on either of the bills has not be established.
Description
S.B. 162/H.B. 4221 declares that state departments shall not contract with or distribute grant money to organizations that advertise for and perform elective abortions. The bills would not eliminate the expenditures, but would redirect both state and federal money away from abortion providers.
Background
Abortion providers in the state receive thousands of dollars of both state and federal money for family planning services. While family planning services serve a legitimate function, it is the policy of the state that abortion is not considered family planning. Nationally, Planned Parenthood alone receives half a billion dollars in federal taxpayer money to perform STI testing, cancer screening and contraceptive counseling and distribution. Technically, family planning money is not be used in the performance of elective abortions, but each dollar received by abortion providers for other services augments the fiscal bottom line of the abortion provider.
History
There have been numerous efforts throughout the United States to defund Planned Parenthood specifically as they are the nation’s largest abortion provider. There have been budgets that have attempted to reduce or eliminate funding directly from the state to organizations that provide abortions. This bill would create a legislative avenue to permanently redirect the funds rather than having to negotiate it out of each annual budget.