As your constituent, I’m writing to ask you to please take action to protect breastfeeding workers by supporting the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act (S. 1658/H.R. 3110).

The Break Time for Nursing Mothers law, (2010 Break Time law) provided critical protections to ensure that employees would have reasonable break time and a private place to pump breast milk during the work day. Unfortunately, the 2010 Break Time law’s placement within the part of the Fair Labor Standards Act that sets overtime meant that 9 million women — nearly one in four women of childbearing age — are excluded from coverage and have no clear right to break time and space to pump breast milk.

Without these protections, breastfeeding workers face serious health consequences, including risk of painful illness and infection, diminished milk supply, or inability to continue breastfeeding. According to a recent report from the University of California’s Center for WorkLife Law, the consequences of this coverage gap also include harassment, reduced wages, and job loss (https://bit.ly/2AvjZ2A).

The HHS Office on Women’s Health hosts the Supporting Nursing Moms at Work resource, which provides a critical link between the need for workplace support for breastfeeding families and the need for implementation guidance for their employers. The resource features examples from real businesses across the nation that have successfully implemented time and space accommodations for breastfeeding workers. The online resource even provides a user-friendly tool that employers can easily navigate to identify and implement solutions for work sites of all sizes and in all industries. (https://bit.ly/2XI7cru)

The Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act was passed by the Senate HELP committee with unanimous, bipartisan support. As your constituent, I am hoping that you'll join as a cosponsor of this critical bill.

Ensuring that all breastfeeding workers are protected is a common sense and important step toward eliminating the barriers to breastfeeding and ensuring all families have the opportunity to reach their personal breastfeeding goals. Thank you for your consideration.

As your constituent, I’m writing to thank you for sponsoring the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act.

Ensuring that all breastfeeding workers are protected by the Break Time for Nursing Mothers law is a common sense and important step toward eliminating the barriers to breastfeeding and ensuring all families have the opportunity to reach their infant feeding goals.

Breastfeeding supports healthy outcomes for moms and babies long after the breastfeeding relationship comes to an end. Everyone wants to do what is best for their baby, and most pregnant people and new mothers want to breastfeed. But too often, the return to work makes it difficult or even impossible to maintain.

Breastfeeding success shouldn't depend on your job type. Expanding coverage of the Break Time for Nursing Mothers Law to all employees is a bipartisan policy solution that we can all agree on.

This is an important issue for me and my community and I am thankful that it is a priority for you too. Thank you for taking action.

The Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act (H.R. 3110) has been introduced in the House with bipartisan support and advanced through the House Education & Labor Committee with strong support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As your constituent, I am hoping that you'll cosponsor this critical bill.

The Break Time for Nursing Mothers law, passed in 2010, (2010 Break Time law) provided critical protections to ensure that employees would have reasonable break time and a private place to pump breast milk during the work day. Unfortunately, the 2010 Break Time law’s placement within the part of the Fair Labor Standards Act that sets overtime meant that 9 million women — nearly one in four women of childbearing age — are excluded from coverage and have no clear right to break time and space to pump breast milk.

Without these protections, breastfeeding workers face serious health consequences, including risk of painful illness and infection, diminished milk supply, or inability to continue breastfeeding. According to a recent report from the University of California’s Center for WorkLife Law, the consequences of this coverage gap also include harassment, reduced wages, and job loss (https://bit.ly/2AvjZ2A).

The HHS Office on Women’s Health hosts the Supporting Nursing Moms at Work resource provides implementation guidance for employers through a user-friendly tool that employers can easily navigate to identify and implement solutions for work sites of all sizes and in all industries. (https://bit.ly/2XI7cru)

Breastfeeding provides a range of benefits for employers and society. The HHS Business Case for Breastfeeding shows an impressive return on investment (almost 3:1) for employers that provide lactation support, including lower health care costs, absenteeism, and turnover, and improved morale, job satisfaction, and productivity. In addition, a 2016 study of both maternal & pediatric health outcomes and associated costs based on 2012 breastfeeding rates showed that, if 90% of infants were breastfed according to medical recommendations, 3,340 deaths, $3 billion in medical costs, and $14.2 billion in costs of premature death would be prevented, annually!

The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act would extend the 2010 Break Time law to cover salaried employees as well as other categories of employees currently exempted from protections, such as teachers. The bill would also ensure that breastfeeding employees have access to remedies that are available for other violations of the FLSA.

As a cosponsor of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, you have demonstrated your commitment to working families. I hope you'll take advantage of the opportunity to support families even further by also cosponsoring the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act.

The Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act (S. 1658/H.R. 3110) has been introduced in the House and Senate with bipartisan support and has advanced through the Senate HELP Committee and House Education & Labor Committee. As your constituent, I am hoping that you'll help make this bill a reality by sponsoring this important legislation.

The Break Time for Nursing Mothers law, passed in 2010, (2010 Break Time law) provided critical protections to ensure that employees would have reasonable break time and a private place to pump breast milk during the work day. Unfortunately, the 2010 Break Time law’s placement within the part of the Fair Labor Standards Act that sets overtime meant that 9 million women — nearly one in four women of childbearing age — are excluded from coverage and have no clear right to break time and space to pump breast milk.

Without these protections, breastfeeding workers face serious health consequences, including risk of painful illness and infection, diminished milk supply, or inability to continue breastfeeding. According to a recent report from the University of California’s Center for WorkLife Law, the consequences of this coverage gap also include harassment, reduced wages, and job loss (https://bit.ly/2AvjZ2A).

The HHS Office on Women’s Health hosts the Supporting Nursing Moms at Work resource provides implementation guidance for employers through a user-friendly tool that employers can easily navigate to identify and implement solutions for work sites of all sizes and in all industries. (https://bit.ly/2XI7cru)

Breastfeeding provides a range of benefits for employers and society. The HHS Business Case for Breastfeeding shows an impressive return on investment (almost 3:1) for employers that provide lactation support, including lower health care costs, absenteeism, and turnover, and improved morale, job satisfaction, and productivity. In addition, a 2016 study of both maternal & pediatric health outcomes and associated costs based on 2012 breastfeeding rates showed that, if 90% of infants were breastfed according to medical recommendations, 3,340 deaths, $3 billion in medical costs, and $14.2 billion in costs of premature death would be prevented, annually!

The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act would extend the 2010 Break Time law to cover salaried employees as well as other categories of employees currently exempted from protections, such as teachers. The bill would also ensure that breastfeeding employees have access to remedies that are available for other violations of the FLSA.

As a member of the Maternity Care Caucus, you have demonstrated your commitment to young families. I hope you'll take advantage of the opportunity to support families even further by also cosponsoring the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act.

As your constituent, I’m writing to ask you to please take action to protect breastfeeding workers by supporting the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act (S. 1658/H.R. 3110).

The Break Time for Nursing Mothers law ensures that employees have reasonable break time and a private place to pump breast milk during the work day, but nearly 9 million women are excluded from coverage. The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act would close this gap.

Breastfeeding protects the health of moms and babies, and support for lactating workers will help ease the transition back into the workforce for so many families who have been impacted by the pandemic. Businesses in every industry have successfully implemented time and space accommodations for breastfeeding workers. (https://bit.ly/2XI7cru)

The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act is strongly supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and has been advanced by the House Ed & Labor committee. As your constituent, I am hoping that you'll join as a cosponsor of this critical bill.

Please take action to ensure that all breastfeeding workers are protected by the Break Time for Nursing Mothers law.