Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., has proposed legislation that would require all federally owned or leased buildings to provide “private, hygienic lactation spaces” for breastfeeding visitors.
Federal law already requires federal buildings to provide these rooms for breastfeeding federal workers. But Norton said the more space should be available for nursing mothers who visit these buildings.
Her Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act says the law should be changed to make it easier for visitors to nurse or pump, which many studies say delivers real health benefits.
“In Washington, D.C., alone, there are millions of tourists who visit federal sites, such as the Lincoln Memorial and the Smithsonian Institution,” she said. “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.”
Her bill would extend current law that benefits only federal workers, a change that was made in Obamacare. According to Norton, Obamacare changed the law to require all 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.”
“Federal policy has long encouraged nursing, and federal facilities should be the first to reflect this policy,” Norton said. “The nation’s capital is a major tourist destination and nursing mothers visiting here have every reason to expect access to appropriate lactation spaces that are also used by federal employees, as needed.”
