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This is the fifth time this bill has been up for consideration in Congress and it needs a strong show of support for passage in this 111th Congress! Please help spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, and any breastfeeding groups to which you belong! If you live in the United States, please consider writing to your representatives and senators to ask them to co-sponsor the bill. We need a groundswell of support to get this legislation passed!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

You can look up the contact information for your representatives and senators and use the following sample letter or your own draft to write to your representatives and senators to ask them to co-sponsor the Breastfeeding Promotion Act (HR2819 / S1244). I have adapted this sample letter from the advocacy kit provided by the District of Columbia Breastfeeding Coalition for the 2007 Act.

“Subject: Co-Sponsor [H.R. 2819 / S. 1244]
Dear [Representative/Senator] ________:

As your constituent and a _________[insert occupation], I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 2819 / S. 1244, the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009, introduced by Representative Carolyn Maloney and Senator Jeff Merkley.

Breastfeeding is proven to benefit both the mother and child. Studies show that infants who are not breastfed are more likely to be hospitalized for respiratory infections and diarrhea. Breastfeeding protects children against the debilitating diseases of asthma and childhood obesity, potentially decreases the risk of SIDS and protects mothers from developing breast and ovarian cancer. Breastfeeding has significant economic and environmental benefits for families and society by improving maternal and child health and decreasing or eliminating the need to purchase expensive formula. Because the evidence for improved child and maternal health with breastfeeding is so clear, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breastfeed exclusively for the first six months and then continue breastfeeding, with the addition of solid foods, for at least the first year of a child’s life.

Many women do not breastfeed or stop breastfeeding because they work in environments that do not allow them to take breaks to pump their breast milk in private areas. In contrast, women who breastfeed and work in supportive work settings have less absenteeism, lower health care expenditures, and greater job satisfaction than women who work in unsupportive or less supportive environments. The Breastfeeding Promotion Act would take significant steps toward protecting all breastfeeding mothers from discrimination and encouraging new mothers to breastfeed.

Already, there is national support for breastfeeding legislation. Forty-nine states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have enacted various laws protecting breastfeeding mothers, but they are not uniform, and most are not comprehensive. [H.R. 2819 / S. 1244] would provide this broad coverage by amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and granting all breastfeeding women protection from workplace discrimination. [H.R. 2819 / S. 1244] would require employers with over 50 employees to provide a private space and unpaid time off during the workday for mothers to express milk, and would set standards for breast pump manufacture. It also would provide for tax incentives for employers that establish private lactation areas in the workplace and tax credits for nursing mothers. Please co-sponsor [H.R. 2819 / S. 1244]. This will allow us to move beyond the patchwork of state laws and provide a unified national policy that encourages breastfeeding and keeps families and their communities healthy. All new mothers deserve the opportunity and support to breastfeed and give their children the best start to life.

To co-sponsor this important legislation, please contact [Representative Maloney’s office at 202.225.7944 or Senator Merkley's office at 202.224.3753].

Sincerely,
Your name
Your street address
City, State Zip”

Your Thoughts

Have you written in? Do you have any experience advocating breastfeeding legislation? Do you have any resources or thoughts? Leave a comment!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Representative Maloney announcing the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009

Incredibly, this is the fifth time the Act has been up for consideration. Representative Maloney spoke to a crowd of nursing mothers on Capitol Hill:

This bill is needed now more than ever, as moms head back to work earlier than ever during this recession. I hope that with Senator Merkley’s good efforts, we can get this bill to the President.

You can see the full text of the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009 (H.R. Bill 2819) online. Representative Maloney summarizes it as follows:

This bill will bring breastfeeding mothers under the protection of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, require employers with over 50 employees to provide a private space and unpaid time off during the workday for mothers to express milk, and sets standards for breast pump manufacture. It also provides for tax incentives for employers that establish private lactation areas in the workplace and tax credits for nursing mothers.

Senator Merkley, who championed a workplace breastfeeding bill in Oregon two years ago, is now behind legislation at the federal level.

It’s not every day we have the opportunity to enact legislation that is so clearly a win-win for families and our nation. Making it easier for moms to breastfeed means we have healthier babies, stronger families and happier workers

Kudos to Senator Merkley for being the first congressperson to sponsor the bill in the Senate!

What can you do to see that the fifth time is the charm? Write to your state’s elected officials in Congress and urge them to support the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009 (HR 2819)!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Representative Maloney’s aide Elizabeth Down shared these details with me:

WHAT:
“NURSE-IN” to introduce the Breastfeeding Promotion Act

WHO:
Nursing mothers
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Congressman Chris Shays (R-CT)
Others to be announced

WHEN:
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 10, 2007

WHERE:
Cannon Terrace
New Jersey and Independence Ave., SE
Washington, D.C. (Capitol Hill)
INCLEMENT WEATHER ROOM: TBD

The Breastfeeding Promotion Act (1) amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding by new mothers (specifically the Act expands the Pregnancy Discrimination Act to protect breastfeeding and expressing milk in the workplace), (2) provides tax incentives for businesses that establish private lactation areas in the workplace, (3) provides for a performance standard for breast pumps, and (4) allows breastfeeding equipment to be tax deductible for families. Ms. Down shared the final draft of the legislation to be introduced. I’ve uploaded the 12-page PDF file for you to read here.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Sign this petition to tell Delta Airlines to get a clue and be supportive of breastfeeding mothers. And tell Congress it’s time to pass the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, which amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding mothers. Clearly this law is needed now!

Go here to sign the e-petition.

For more information about the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, visit the web page of the sponsor, House Representative Carolyn B. Maloney. La Leche League discusses how the Act would support working mothers.

via The Huffington Post

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3