Labor Committee Advances Bill from Senator Hochadel on Breastfeeding Accommodations

Sen. Jan Hochadel, D-Meriden, applauded the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee for its Thursday vote to advance her bill to ensure that Connecticut employers provide breastfeeding parents adequate time to express milk or feed their children.

Current state law includes language permitting employees to express breastmilk at their workplace during that person’s meal or break period. Senator Hochadel proposed Senate Bill 1030 to broaden that language so breastfeeding parents are allowed opportunities whenever those employees have the need to express breastmilk or breastfeed.

The Labor and Public Employees Committee voted Thursday to advance the proposal to the Senate floor for consideration.

“Returning to work after giving birth is challenging enough without the added discomfort of needing to express milk when your work schedule does not provide the opportunity,” Senator Hochadel said. “Breastfeeding parents have needs that don’t always align with scheduled lunch breaks, especially in jobs like nursing or teaching, where those breaks are often determined by the needs of patients and students. This bill provides those parents some basic dignity, and I’m grateful to the Labor Committee for moving it one step closer to becoming law.”