[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 28 (Thursday, February 16, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E212]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FAIRNESS FOR BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS ACT OF 2017

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 16, 2017

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Fairness for 
Breastfeeding Mothers Act of 2017, a bill that would require buildings 
that are either federally owned or leased to provide designated private 
and hygienic lactation spaces for nursing mothers. The bill was 
included in the Public Buildings Reform and Savings Act of 2016, which 
passed the House last Congress. For years, federal agencies such as the 
U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention have encouraged breastfeeding. The benefits are so great 
that federal law now requires employers to provide a designated, non-
bathroom space for employees to pump breastmilk for their newborns, 
ensuring that new mothers would be able to continue this essential 
practice even after returning to work. My bill would extend this 
requirement to include not just employees, but visitors and guests to 
federal facilities across the nation.
  In Washington, D.C. alone, millions of tourists visit federal sites, 
such as the Lincoln Memorial. Increasingly, families understand the 
unique benefits of breastfeeding, and visitors to these buildings who 
have newborns and babies should have a private space to breastfeed or 
pump. The benefits of breastfeeding are well-documented. Breastmilk 
contains antibodies and hormones that boost babies' immune systems, and 
studies have shown lower risks of asthma, diabetes, respiratory 
infections and other diseases among breastfed babies. Moreover, 
breastfeeding also has benefits for nursing mothers, who, research has 
shown, have lower risks of diabetes and certain forms of cancer. Given 
the significant public health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother 
and baby, already recognized in federal policy, my bill is a logical 
next step to ensure visitors to federal sites have access to clean, 
hygienic, and private spaces to nurse or pump.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill, which would provide access 
to designated lactation rooms for guests to federally owned or leased 
buildings.

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