# Plain Language Summary: Protect S.T.A.T.E. Lines Act

This bill would ban the use of federal money to pay for travel expenses when someone crosses state lines to get an abortion. In practical terms, if a person receives federal benefits or assistance—like Medicaid, federal employee health insurance, or other government-funded programs—those programs could not cover the cost of traveling to another state for an abortion procedure. This applies to travel across any state lines, including trips to Washington D.C. or U.S. territories.

The bill includes two exceptions where federal funds could still be used for travel. First, if a pregnancy results from rape or incest, federal funds could cover travel costs for an abortion in another state. Second, if a woman's life is in danger due to her pregnancy and a doctor certifies that an abortion is necessary to save her life, federal funds could cover that travel. Without these exceptions, even women facing serious health emergencies would be unable to use federal benefits to travel for necessary medical care.

The practical impact would primarily affect lower-income people who rely on federal health programs, since wealthier individuals typically have private insurance or personal resources to cover travel costs. Someone on Medicaid in a state with strict abortion laws would lose the ability to have their travel funded if they wanted to go to another state for the procedure, unless they fell into one of the two exceptions. This could effectively prevent some people from accessing abortion services in other states, even though those services would be legal in their destination state.

Protect S.T.A.T.E. Lines Act

Cawthorn, Madison

Protect Statutory Termination of Abortions from Taxpayer-funded Excursions Lines Act or the Protect S.T.A.T.E. Lines Act This bill prohibits, subject to some exceptions, the use of federal funds to pay for an individual's interstate travel for an abortion. The funding prohibition does not apply to abortions performed in cases of rape or incest or when necessary to resolve a pregnancy-related physical condition that endangers the individual's life.