Governor Charlie Baker on Friday signed a bill making $8 million available to fund women’s health services affected by changes to Title X funding at the federal level.
The Title X program funds family planning and sexual health care for low-income people. The Trump administration announced that starting in early May, health centers that discuss abortion as an option to patients will no longer receive federal funds.
The bill will replenish the $1.6 million that Massachusetts health clinics could lose before the end of the fiscal year, devoting $800,000 to the Department of Public Health, $428,500 to the Action for Boston Community Development, and $375,750 to Health Imperatives, the Globe reported this week.
The bill passed in both the House and Senate earlier this week by wide margins.
“Signing this bill into law ensures women’s health providers across Massachusetts will continue to have access to these critical funds, and we thank our colleagues in the Legislature for their swift response to changes in federal policy,” Baker said in a statement.
Baker also signed a supplemental budget Friday that included $1 million to fund technical support to hospital emergency rooms in handling the intake of sexual assault victims, a program that was previously funded.
Stephanie Ebbert of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Maddie Kilgannon can be reached at maddie.kilgannon@globe.com.