House Republicans Weaken Protections for Working Mothers
Contact Name: Marina Altschiller
Phone: (603) 271-3207
CONCORD – Earlier today, the House Commerce & Consumer Affairs Committee voted to pass SB 69 with a harmful amendment dramatically limiting the scope of protections for nursing mothers in the workforce.
Senators Becky Whitley (D-Hopkinton) and Rebecca Perkins Kwoka (D-Portsmouth) issued the following statement after the vote:
“SB 69, as introduced and passed unanimously by the Senate, represented extensive bipartisan work and years long efforts of advocates for women and families. We are deeply disappointed that Republicans on the House Commerce & Consumer Affairs Committee voted today to limit the basic but critical protections in the original bill. The coalition of stakeholders involved in this work has provided extensive statistical as well as anecdotal data about working mothers who desperately need the protections in the original bill, which the committee amendment swept away. New Hampshire's breastfeeding rates have been stagnant for almost a decade, our childhood obesity rates are increasing, and we are in a workforce crisis in New Hampshire. This amendment is counterproductive to finding real solutions to actually solve these pressing issues.”
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