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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 4, 2014 04:19 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Mark B. Cohen |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Co-sponsorship of Pregnancy Discrimination legislation |
In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that would eliminate discrimination and promote women’s health and economic security by ensuring reasonable workplace accommodations for workers whose ability to perform the functions of a job are limited by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition. Specifically, my legislation would require employers to provide the following workplace accommodations for pregnant workers:
My proposal would also provide for a hardship exemption for businesses. I am introducing this legislation because discrimination in the workplace still occurs in spite of the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act forbidding it. An article entitled “It shouldn’t be a heavy lift: fair treatment for pregnant workers,” produced by the national Women’s Law Center, states that pregnant workers are often forced out of their jobs or denied accommodations that allow them to keep working. Further, more than 40 percent of full-time low-wage workers say they’re not allowed to decide when to take breaks. My proposal is similar to SB 927 introduced by Senator Matt Smith, but it would provide for the accommodations outlined above in addition to eliminating discrimination against pregnant workers. It closely parallels federal legislation introduced by Senator Bob Casey entitled the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (S.942). These initiatives signal a growing trend of employee-protective legislation related to pregnancy and comes on the heels of similar laws passed in New York City, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, and Texas. I invite you to join this effort to eliminate discrimination against pregnant workers and make the workplace a safe and fair environment for everyone. If you have any questions about this legislation, please contact Kathy Seidl of my office at 787-4117 or kseidl@pahouse.net. Thank you. |