Senate Adds Protections for Nursing Parents to Omnibus Bill (1)

The US Senate inserted a bill that would provide more civil rights protections for nursing parents at work in the budget package, including a mandate for a private lactation space and certain break times, after transportation groups attempted to thwart its passage earlier this year.

The Senate voted 92-5 Thursday to include Sen. Jeff Merkley’s (D-Ore.) amendment—the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act (S. 1658)—in the government funding bill the chamber is considering. The legislation, which the House cleared in a companion bill in 2021, was considered by the Senate after Merkley’s failed attempt to pass it by unanimous ...