ACLU Comment on House Advancement of PUMP Act

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives today advanced a bill aiming to address the needs of nursing workers by passing the bipartisan PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act (HR. 3110) by a vote of 276-149.

Vania Leveille, senior legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following response:

“Employers in every industry should have policies in place to accommodate the needs of pregnant and breastfeeding employees but, unfortunately, that is not currently the case. Instead, too many workers are penalized, discriminated against, terminated, or left without options when they try to pump breast milk at work. The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act is a measured and long overdue bill that will safeguard the health and economic security of millions of women and families across the country. We applaud the House for taking action and urge the Senate to act swiftly to pass this bill.”

Melissa Hodgkins, ACLU client, wrote The PUMP Act Would Protect Nursing Workers Like Me, available here: https://www.aclu.org/news/womens-rights/the-pump-act-would-protect-nursing-workers-like-me