SC bill that would help breastfeeding mothers in the workplace advances
A bill that would push employers to give mothers a time and place to use a breast pump during the work day cleared an additional hurdle Thursday.
A Senate subcommittee OK’d the bill, sending it to the full Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee for consideration. If approved, the bill, which passed the House unanimously in March, will head to the full Senate for a vote.
The bill would require employers to make a “reasonable” effort to provide a private space for mothers to pump and an unpaid break for them to do it.
In 2018, the state legislature passed the “South Carolina Pregnancy Accommodations Act,” which gave workplace protections to women who are pregnant or have medical conditions stemming from childbirth. The bill did not include language about breastfeeding or pumping.
Several advocates for the bill spoke at Thursday’s hearing, including its sponsor, state Rep. Rosalyn Henderson-Myers, D-Spartanburg.
“This bill is critical to our women in South Carolina. ... It’s a win-win for families. It’s a win-win for employers,” Henderson-Myers said. “It allows women with babies to come back to work sooner.”
Kristyn Leonard, a lactation counselor and owner of the Columbia Lactation Care, told senators that giving women a space to pump could increase productivity and employee happiness at work.
“When parents are supported in their goals to breast feed, they are more likely to be satisfied with their employment,” Leonard said.
Not allowing mothers to pump could decrease morale and productivity, she said.
“We have people saying, ‘This is just not working for me’ and finding a new employer or leaving work,’” Leonard said.
State Sen. Glenn Reese said he supports the bill because of the numerous health benefits children gain from being fed breast milk. Reese, the father of four and grandfather to nine, said he’s seen the health effects first hand with his own family.
“The importance is in the health of the baby,” Reese said. “If they have the mother’s milk, it wards off a lot of things, illness and sickness or anything.”
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, babies that are breastfed are at a lower risk for developing asthma, obesity, Leukemia, ear infections, Eczema, lower respiratory infections, sudden infant death syndrome and Type 2 diabetes.
Several senators on the subcommittee expressed support for the bill’s passage. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said he had concerns about how the bill would be enforced if signed into law, but added that he was in favor of it passing.
Henderson-Myers also told The State that the bill would not impose new burdens on businesses because it has no hard enforcement mechanism. There would be “no sanction against the employer if the employer cannot provide (a place for women to pump),“ she said, adding the bill would just require business owners to make a reasonable effort to be compliant.
Massey also questioned whether businesses would be required to make structural changes to their buildings to create a private room for women to pump.
Ashley Lidow, the associate director of policy and government relations for the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, said a private office or a manager’s office would be preferable, but a single-occupancy bathroom may work for some women. However, she added, some women may not want to pump in a restroom for sanitary reasons.
“You wouldn’t want to eat lunch in a single (user bathroom),” she said.
Joshua Putnam, president of Palmetto Family, called the bill “a good starting point,” but said he would like to see a more strongly worded bill in the future.
Specifically, he said the bill as written does not require employers to pay employees for breaks they take to pump. Paid pump breaks are something lawmakers should consider requiring, he said. But, he said, he will support the current bill.
“All you’re doing with this bill is providing an opportunity,” Putnam said.
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 2:06 PM.
