Pumping Measure Garners Support
by March 23, 2009 12:00 am 58 views
Efforts to make the workplace breastfeeding friendly are gaining momentum in the Arkansas Legislature. The Senate voted 20-3 on March 18 to pass the bill that requires employers to provide unpaid breaks and reasonable locations for mothers to pump breast milk.
The bill by Rep. Lindsley Smith of Fayetteville went back to the House on March 19 where it was referred to the Public Health, Welfare and Labor committee. Smith hopes the legislation will encourage mothers to continue nursing even after they return to work.
Research indicates that nursing improves infant health. Sixty percent of Arkansas mothers start off nursing but only 22 percent are sill nursing by month three, the time when mothers typically return to their jobs. Twenty-one states have laws related to breastfeeding in the workplace.