[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 30, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE FAIRNESS FOR BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS ACT OF 2019

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 30, 2019

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Fairness for 
Breastfeeding Mothers Act of 2019, a bill that would require buildings 
that are either federally owned or leased to provide designated private 
and hygienic lactation spaces for nursing mothers. 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 the Affordable Care Act amended federal law 
to require employers to provide a designated, non-bathroom space for 
returning 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, there are millions of tourists who visit 
federal sites, such as the Lincoln Memorial and the Smithsonian 
Institution. 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.
  It is also important to ensure that lactation spaces are accessible 
to individuals with disabilities. While the Americans with Disabilities 
Act does not apply to federal buildings, the lactation spaces required 
by my bill would be subject to a similar law, the Architectural 
Barriers Act, which requires buildings and facilities that are 
designed, built or altered with federal dollars or leased by federal 
agencies to be accessible to individuals with disabilities whenever 
possible.
  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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