Rafael J. López

The meeting commenced with the approval of the agenda and the September minutes. Key presentations included an overview from the National Women's Law Center regarding federal gender justice attacks and state responses, and a presentation from the Maryland Family Network detailing challenges related to the Child Care Scholarship Waitlist and the impact of the federal landscape on Maryland's child care policy. The Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence presented on their 2026 Legislative Agenda, focusing on bills aimed at strengthening survivor safety and financial stability. The Research, Policy & Legislation Committee reported on a successful vote to adopt three legislative recommendations: Stop Silencing Survivors, the Family and Law Enforcement Protection Act (Gun Bill), and Protection of Students from Sexual Exploitation in Schools. Updates were also provided on the OTC Collaborative and the Policy Committee's focus on women's economic security. The Outreach & Awards Committee reported on outreach efforts for Women's History/Hall of Fame nominations and provided an update on local commissions. Finally, the Foundation provided an update on a successful fundraiser and details for a joint holiday party.

The January meeting of the OTC Collaborative began with welcoming remarks for the 2026 collaborative year and an overview of the schedule, including the interim report discussion. The core of the meeting featured a detailed presentation from the Free the Pill collaborative regarding recommendations for improving over-the-counter (OTC) contraception access. Key recommendations focused on core principles for implementation, such as prioritizing marginalized communities and ensuring affordability. Specific discussion points addressed the need for uniform billing requirements across insurance plans, particularly concerning the required prescriber ID number (NPI) for OTC products. Further recommendations included strategies to increase consumer awareness through in-store signage, covering all brands, allowing dispensing of up to 12 months for daily pills, and implementing retail counter coverage for OTC contraceptives.

This report from the Maryland Department of Human Services, Social Services Administration, details progress on the 2025-2029 Child and Family Services Plan. The plan focuses on six key goals: prevention, kinship, workforce development, service array expansion, permanency, and continuous quality improvement. The objective is to enhance safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children, youth, and families across the state through collaborative approaches and targeted interventions.

The meeting, which was the second session of the Over the Counter Birth Control Collaborative, focused on clarifying policy points and discussing draft recommendations for an upcoming interim report. Key discussions centered on age restrictions for over-the-counter birth control, confirming that Plan B and OTC birth control products generally have no age restrictions, addressing concerns raised by stakeholders regarding potential barriers to access. The collaborative then discussed two main draft recommendations: the first called for state agencies to advance guidance to pharmacies, benefit managers, and health plans for a consistent billing method for OTC contraceptive products. The second recommendation focused on the state's responsibility to inform and educate Marylanders about OTC birth control access by activating and seeking new partnerships. Significant input was provided regarding the need to ensure educational materials clearly reach specific audiences, such as pharmacists, retailers, youth, and underserved communities, with various preferences expressed on how to detail these specific audiences within the formal recommendation structure.

The meeting of the Over-the-Counter Birth Control Collaborative covered several key topics, including the background of the OTC birth control collaborative, the role of the Commission for Women, and the goals of the collaborative. Discussions included implementing the insurance coverage requirement, advancing point-of-sale coverage options at retail counters, virtual retail platforms, and vending machines, identifying birth control initiatives to increase access to over-the-counter birth control, and enhancing education and engagement of consumers, healthcare practitioners, public health and community programs, and healthcare industry stakeholders.