Bill Text: NY A09987 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

New York Assembly Bill 9987 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Expands the rights of nursing mothers to express breast milk.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-5)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-10-07 - print number 9987a [A09987 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A09987-Amended.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         9987--A

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      March 4, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  PAULIN,  CRUZ, JOYNER, SIMON, BARRON, BLAKE,
          EPSTEIN, GOTTFRIED, HYNDMAN, LENTOL, McMAHON,  MOSLEY,  NIOU,  SAYEGH,
          SIMOTAS,  LAWRENCE,  MORINELLO, ASHBY, McDONOUGH -- Multi-Sponsored by
          -- M. of A. TAGUE -- read once and referred to the Committee on  Labor
          --  committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended
          and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to expanding  the  rights  of
          nursing mothers to express breast milk

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 206-c of the labor law, as added by chapter 574  of
     2  the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
     3    §  206-c.  Right  of  nursing  mothers  to  express breast milk. 1. An
     4  employer shall provide reasonable unpaid break time or permit an employ-
     5  ee to use paid break time or meal time [each day] to allow  an  employee
     6  to express breast milk for her nursing child each time such employee has
     7  reasonable  need  to express breast milk for up to three years following
     8  child birth. [The employer shall make reasonable efforts  to  provide  a
     9  room  or  other  location, in close proximity to the work area, where an
    10  employee can express milk in privacy.] No employer shall discriminate in
    11  any way against an employee who chooses to express breast  milk  in  the
    12  work place.
    13    2.  (a) Upon request of an employee who chooses to express breast milk
    14  in the workplace, an employer shall designate a room or  other  location
    15  which shall be made available for use by such employee to express breast
    16  milk.  If the sole purpose or function of such room or other location is
    17  not dedicated for use by employees to express breast milk, such room  or
    18  other  location  shall be made available to such an employee when needed
    19  and shall not be used for any other purpose or function while in use  by
    20  such  employee.  Employers shall provide notice to all employees as soon
    21  as practicable when such room or other location has been designated  for
    22  use by employees to express breast milk.
    23    (b)  Such  room or other location shall be a place, other than a bath-
    24  room that is: (i) in close proximity to the  work  area;  (ii)  shielded

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD15399-04-0

        A. 9987--A                          2

     1  from view; and (iii) free from intrusion from other persons in the work-
     2  place or the public. Such room or other location shall provide, at mini-
     3  mum,  a chair, a working surface, nearby access to running water and, if
     4  the workplace is supplied with electricity, an electrical outlet.
     5    3.  Where  compliance with the requirements of subdivision two of this
     6  section is impracticable because it would impose an  undue  hardship  on
     7  the  employer  by causing significant difficulty or expense when consid-
     8  ered in relation to the size, financial resources, nature, or  structure
     9  of  the employer's business, such employer shall make reasonable efforts
    10  to provide a room or other location, in  close  proximity  to  the  work
    11  area,  where an employee can  express  breast milk in privacy. Provided,
    12  however, nothing in this subdivision shall otherwise exempt an  employer
    13  from the requirements of subdivision one of this section.
    14    4.  Employers  shall  develop and implement a written policy regarding
    15  the rights of nursing mothers to express breast milk  in  the  workplace
    16  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  this  section.  Such  policy shall be
    17  distributed to each employee upon hire  and  annually  thereafter.  Such
    18  policy shall:
    19    (a) Inform employees of their rights pursuant to this section;
    20    (b)  Specify  the  means  by  which  a request may be submitted to the
    21  employer for a room or other location for use by  employees  to  express
    22  breast milk; and
    23    (c)  Require  the employer to respond to such request within a reason-
    24  able timeframe, but not to exceed five business days.
    25    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    26  it shall have become a law.