§ 300. Project grants and contracts for family planning services

§ 300. Project grants and contracts for family planning services

(a) Authority of Secretary The Secretary is authorized to make grants to and enter into contracts with public or nonprofit private entities to assist in the establishment and operation of voluntary family planning projects which shall offer a broad range of acceptable and effective family planning methods and services (including natural family planning methods, infertility services, and services for adolescents). To the extent practical, entities which receive grants or contracts under this subsection shall encourage familiy 11 So in original. Probably should be “family”. participation in projects assisted under this subsection.

(b) Factors determining awards; establishment and preservation of rights of local and regional entities In making grants and contracts under this section the Secretary shall take into account the number of patients to be served, the extent to which family planning services are needed locally, the relative need of the applicant, and its capacity to make rapid and effective use of such assistance. Local and regional entities shall be assured the right to apply for direct grants and contracts under this section, and the Secretary shall by regulation fully provide for and protect such right.

(c) Reduction of grant amount The Secretary, at the request of a recipient of a grant under subsection (a), may reduce the amount of such grant by the fair market value of any supplies or equipment furnished the grant recipient by the Secretary. The amount by which any such grant is so reduced shall be available for payment by the Secretary of the costs incurred in furnishing the supplies or equipment on which the reduction of such grant is based. Such amount shall be deemed as part of the grant and shall be deemed to have been paid to the grant recipient.

(d) Authorization of appropriations For the purpose of making grants and contracts under this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1971; $60,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1972; $111,500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, $111,500,000 each for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1974, and June 30, 1975; $115,000,000 for fiscal year 1976; $115,000,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1977; $136,400,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1978; $200,000,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1979; $230,000,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1980; $264,500,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1981; $126,510,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1982; $139,200,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1983; $150,830,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1984; and $158,400,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1985.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title X, § 1001, as added Pub. L. 91–572, § 6(c), Dec. 24, 1970, 84 Stat. 1506; amended Pub. L. 92–449, title III, § 301, Sept. 30, 1972, 86 Stat. 754; Pub. L. 93–45, title I, § 111(a), June 18, 1973, 87 Stat. 93; Pub. L. 94–63, title II, §§ 202(a), 204(a), (b), title VII, § 701(d), July 29, 1975, 89 Stat. 306–308, 352; Pub. L. 95–83, title III, § 305(a), Aug. 1, 1977, 91 Stat. 388; Pub. L. 95–613, § 1(a)(1), (b)(1), Nov. 8, 1978, 92 Stat. 3093; Pub. L 97–35, title IX, § 931(a)(1), (b)(1), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 570; Pub. L. 97–414, §§ 8(n), 9(a), Jan. 4, 1983, 96 Stat. 2061, 2064; Pub. L. 98–512, § 3(a), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2409; Pub. L. 98–555, § 9, Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 2857.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1984—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 98–555 added subsec. (c). Former subsec. (c) redesignated (d).

Pub. L. 98–512 inserted provisions authorizing appropriations for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1985.

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 98–555 redesignated former subsec. (c) as (d).

1983—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 97–414, § 8(n), substituted a semicolon for a comma after “1981”.

Pub. L. 97–414, § 9(a), amended directory language of Pub. L. 97–35, § 931(a)(1), to correct a typographical error and did not involve any change in text. See 1981 Amendment note below.

1981—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 97–35, § 931(b)(1), inserted provisions relating to family participation in projects.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 97–35, § 931(a)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 97–414, § 9(a), inserted provisions authorizing appropriations for fiscal years ending Sept. 30, 1982, 1983, and 1984.

1978—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–613, § 1(a)(1), inserted provisions relating to infertility services and services for adolescents.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 95–613, § 1(b)(1), inserted provisions authorizing appropriations for fiscal years ending Sept. 30, 1979, 1980, and 1981.

1977—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 95–83 substituted provision authorizing appropriations for fiscal years ending Sept. 30, 1977 and 1978, for prior such authorization for fiscal year 1977.

1975—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94–63, § 204(a), inserted provision relating to scope of family planning projects to be offered.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 94–63, § 204(b), inserted provision relating to direct grants and contracts for local and regional entities.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 94–63, §§ 202(a), 701(d), inserted provisions authorizing appropriations for fiscal years ending June 30, 1975, 1976, and 1977.

1973—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 93–45 inserted provisions authorizing appropriations for fiscal year ending June 30, 1974.

1972—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 92–449 increased appropriations authorization for fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, to $111,500,000 from $90,000,000.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1975 Amendment

Amendment by sections 202(a) and 204(a), (b) of Pub. L. 94–63 effective July 1, 1975, see section 608 of Pub. L. 94–63, set out as a note under section 247b of this title.

Study as to Discrimination by Schools of Medicine, Nursing, or Osteopathy Against Applicants Because of Reluctance or Willingness To Participate in Abortions or Sterilizations; Report Not Later Than February 1, 1978

Pub. L. 95–215, § 7, Dec. 19, 1977, 91 Stat. 1507, required Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to conduct a study and report to specific committees of Congress not later than Feb. 1, 1978, as to whether schools of medicine, nursing, or osteopathy discriminate against applicants because of applicant’s reluctance or unwillingness to participate in performance of abortions or sterilizations contrary to religious beliefs or moral convictions.

Congressional Declaration of Purpose

Pub. L. 91–572, § 2, Dec. 24, 1970, 84 Stat. 1504, provided that: “It is the purpose of this Act [see Short Title of 1970 Amendment note set out under section 201 of this title]— “(1) to assist in making comprehensive voluntary family planning services readily available to all persons desiring such services; “(2) to coordinate domestic population and family planning research with the present and future needs of family planning programs; “(3) to improve administrative and operational supervision of domestic family planning services and of population research programs related to such services; “(4) to enable public and nonprofit private entities to plan and develop comprehensive programs of family planning services; “(5) to develop and make readily available information (including educational materials) on family planning and population growth to all persons desiring such information; “(6) to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of family planning service programs and of population research; “(7) to assist in providing trained manpower needed to effectively carry out programs of population research and family planning services; and “(8) to establish an Office of Population Affairs in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as a primary focus within the Federal Government on matters pertaining to population research and family planning, through which the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare [now Health and Human Services] (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘Secretary’) shall carry out the purposes of this Act.”

Executive Documents

Executive Order No. 14076

Ex. Ord. No. 14076, July 8, 2022, 87 F.R. 42053, which related to protecting access to reproductive healthcare services following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, was revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 14182, § 2(a), Jan. 24, 2025, 90 F.R. 8751.

Executive Order No. 14079

Ex. Ord. No. 14079, Aug. 3, 2022, 87 F.R. 49505, which related to further action to protect access to reproductive healthcare services and addressing women’s health and public health, was revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 14182, § 2(a), Jan. 24, 2025, 90 F.R. 8751.

Ex. Ord. No. 14101. Strengthening Access to Affordable, High-Quality Contraception and Family Planning Services

Ex. Ord. No. 14101, June 23, 2023, 88 F.R. 41815, provided:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. Women should have access to the healthcare they need, including contraception and family planning services. Access to contraception is essential to ensuring that all people have control over personal decisions about their own health, lives, and families. High-quality contraception improves health outcomes, advances economic stability, and promotes women’s overall well-being. Contraception access is linked to improved maternal and child health, expanded educational and professional opportunities, and higher lifetime earnings.

Through new requirements for private health coverage and expanded access to Medicaid, the [Patient Protection and] Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111–148, see Tables for classification] extended access to affordable contraception to millions of women, helping them save billions of dollars on birth control. Yet access to high-quality contraception continues to vary based on income, location, health insurance coverage, and the availability of healthcare providers. Millions of people continue to face barriers to obtaining the contraception they need even as access has become more critical in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 142 S. Ct. 2228 (2022), to overturn Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).

Given that the Supreme Court overruled Roe, which rested on the fundamental right to privacy in matters of health, bodily autonomy, and family, it has never been more important to protect and expand access to family planning services. Dobbs has already had, and will continue to have, devastating implications for women’s health. In States with laws that restrict access to abortion, health clinics that provide contraception and other essential health services have shuttered, eliminating critical points of care. Some State officials have adopted policies interfering with access to emergency contraception, including for vulnerable populations. Such policies further threaten women’s ability to make decisions about their own bodies, families, and futures. These threats persist despite decades of Supreme Court precedent, beginning with Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965), and Eisenstadt v. Baird, 405 U.S. 438 (1972), affirming the right to contraception. Moreover, an overwhelming majority of Americans support access to contraception.

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, I issued Executive Order 14076 of July 8, 2022 (Protecting Access to Reproductive Healthcare Services) [set out above], and Executive Order 14079 of August 3, 2022 (Securing Access to Reproductive and Other Healthcare Services) [set out above], to direct my Administration to take action to protect access to reproductive healthcare services, including contraception and abortion. In Executive Order 14076, I directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director of the Gender Policy Council to establish an Interagency Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access to coordinate these efforts across my Administration. Consistent with these Executive Orders and other applicable authorities, executive departments and agencies have taken numerous steps to protect and strengthen access to contraception, including:

(a) issuing guidance and convening sponsors of employee benefit plans and health insurers to clarify contraception coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act;

(b) expanding walk-in contraceptive care services for active duty service members and other Military Health System beneficiaries;

(c) issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to improve access to affordable contraception for certain dependents of veterans;

(d) providing additional funding to bolster training, develop and expand telehealth infrastructure and capacity, and provide technical assistance for clinics funded under Title X of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300 et seq.) (Title X);

(e) strengthening the inclusion of family planning providers in insurance networks for qualified health plans under the Affordable Care Act;

(f) issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to provide a new pathway for women to access contraceptives when their private health coverage is exempt from covering this benefit;

(g) issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to strengthen privacy protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, Public Law 104–191, 110 Stat. 1936 [see Tables for classification], as amended by Public Law 111–5, 123 Stat. 115 (2009), by proposing to prohibit doctors, other healthcare providers, and health plans from using or disclosing individuals’ protected health information related to lawful reproductive healthcare, such as contraception use, under certain circumstances;

(h) issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to ensure healthcare providers that receive Federal financial assistance do not deny healthcare, including contraception, on the basis of any ground protected by Federal law; and

(i) reminding Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded health centers of their obligations to provide family planning services to patients consistent with Federal requirements.

Through this order, I direct my Administration to build on this progress and further strengthen and bolster access to affordable, high-quality contraception. It remains the policy of my Administration to support access to reproductive healthcare services and to protect and defend reproductive rights in the face of ongoing efforts to strip Americans of their fundamental freedoms.

Sec. 2. Improving Access and Affordability Under the Affordable Care Act. (a) The Secretaries of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (Secretaries) shall consider issuing guidance, consistent with applicable law, to further improve Americans’ ability to access contraception, without out-of-pocket expenses, under the Affordable Care Act. In doing so, the Secretaries shall consider actions that would, to the greatest extent permitted by law:

(i) ensure coverage of comprehensive contraceptive care, including all contraceptives approved, granted, or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, without cost sharing for enrollees, participants, and beneficiaries; and

(ii) streamline the process for patients and healthcare providers to request coverage, without cost sharing, of medically necessary contraception.

(b) The Secretaries shall consider additional actions, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to promote increased access to affordable over-the-counter contraception, including emergency contraception.

Sec. 3. Supporting Access Through Medicaid and Medicare. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, shall consider taking steps, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to:

(a) expand access to affordable family planning services and supplies across the Medicaid program, including by identifying and disseminating best practices for providing high-quality family planning services and supplies, including through Medicaid-managed care; and

(b) improve coverage and payment for contraceptives for Medicare beneficiaries through Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans.

Sec. 4. Additional Actions to Support Contraception Access. (a) To promote access to affordable, high-quality contraception, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall consider additional actions, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to: