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New federal bill would greater protect breastfeeding employees

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Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D-NY14] is at it again.

A sponsor of a bill that would greatly expand the scope and reach of the FMLA, Rep. Maloney has co-sponsored another bill, the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2011, which would amend both the Fair Labor Standards Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding by nursing new mothers.

Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which is part of Title VII, it is already illegal to discriminate in the workplace “because of sex” or “on the basis of sex,” which includes, but is not limited to, because of or on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. The Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2011 would amend Title VII to explicitly include “lactation.”

The proposed legislation would also expand the breastfeeding provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act to cover salaried office workers.

According to a press release from Rep. Maloney, the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2011 would cover an additional approximate 13.5 million executive, administrative, and professional women in the workplace.

Employers that need more information on breastfeeding in the workplace, can check out these other posts at https://www.theemployerhandbook.com: