Breastfeeding Advocacy in Wisconsin

State

Federal

State

• Wisconsin State Legislature Home Page
• Notification Services:  get emails about bills containing "breast feeding" and "lactation" or whatever else you'd like to keep track of.
• Who represents me?

Bills  These bill numbers will change as the new session of the legislature starts.  These were the bills of the last legislative session. 

(You might notice the common theme of the Assembly Committee on Health and Healthcare reform.  You may also notice that all these bills get into the committee, but never come out.  You might also notice that the chairperson is a pediatric nurse practitioner.  I have noticed that that doesn't make sense at all.)

SB 30:  An Act to create 253.16 of the statutes; relating to: permitting a
mother to breast-feed in any public or private location where she is
otherwise authorized to be.

Passed the Senate unanimously (say thank you to your senator!) and died in the  Committee on Health and Healthcare Reform

AB 104: The Assembly version of the breastfeeding in public bill.  Died in the Committee on Health and Healthcare Reform
 

SB 75:  An Act to create 103.12 and 106.54 (8) of the statutes; relating to:
requiring an employer to reasonably accommodate an employee who is
pregnant or who is breast-feeding her child.

Passed the State Senate on March 8th.  Referred to the Committee on Health and Healthcare Reform in the Assembly where it died in committee.
 

Federal

HR 2236

The Breastfeeding Promotion Act is a bipartisan bill that would protect breastfeeding mothers from discrimination and encourage new mothers to breastfeed. HR 2236, introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT), would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding women from being fired or discriminated against in the workplace.  It also provides for tax incentives for businesses that establish private, lactation areas in the workplace, establishes a performance standard for breast pumps and would allow breastfeeding equipment to be tax deductible for families.

Women with infants are the fastest growing population in the workforce making this legislation timely and necessary.  Employers who already provide lactation support in the workplace have benefited from cost savings, reduced absenteeism, higher employee morale and loyalty and a family- friendly reputation within their community. The Breastfeeding Promotion Act would take significant steps toward extending these benefits to all breastfeeding mothers and their employers.

Affordable healthcare begins with breastfeeding. Breastfeeding mothers in the United States are half as likely to miss a day of work for a sick child compared to mothers of formula feeding infants.  Healthcare costs and insurance claims are significantly lower for breastfed infants. For every 1,000 babies not breastfed, there are 2,033 excess physician visits, 212 excess hospitalization days and 609 excess prescriptions for ear, respiratory, and gastrointestinal infections.   

Most states have no workplace legislation to help breastfeeding families.  The current breastfeeding workplace laws are inconsistent and only exist in 14 states.  The Breastfeeding Promotion Act would extend more comprehensive protection for breastfeeding mothers nationally. 

The promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding are national and global priorities for improved public health.  The Breastfeeding Promotion Act addresses the crucial need for support of breastfeeding mothers in the workforce.   All new mothers deserve the opportunity and support to breastfeed their child and all children deserve to be breastfed.

House Ways and Means, House Energy and Commerce, House Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health