Breastfeeding breaks mandatory under HCR - true or not?

[Cairycat]

I used to be a lay breastfeeding counselor, and one of my Google alerts is still "breastfeeding". Yesterday this article was in the alert: www.smarthrmanager.com/main-feature/health-care-reform-law-amends-flsa-to-require-breastfeeding-breaks-20100325 , which is an article entitled, "Breastfeeding Breaks Now Mandatory Under Health Care Reform Law" on a website called Smart HR Manager. Not having a subscription, I can't access the article, but this just didn't ring true to me, especially not having heard anything about it in the lactation world.

So I looked up HR 4872, which is what the House just passed. Unless I'm not searching correctly, there is zero mention of breastfeeding in any context in the bill. If someone here could point out to me such a measure in this bill, I'd really appreciate it, but it just doesn't look to me like it's there.

I'm wondering just how many supposed "provisions" of the bill (that don't actually exist) are going to be discussed in the media as though they did exist? There's a potential for a lot of bullshit to have to be countered, it seems to me.

Breaks to allow women to pump or feed a baby is something that can actually help a businesses' bottom line, but it is the kind of thing that people who are not strongly pro-workers' rights tend to have a knee-jerk reaction against. That knee-jerk reaction is something the wingnuts are counting on to further opposition to the bill. But when they're opposing something that isn't even true, it's just nuts. Anyway, your thoughts on the matter are appreciated.

[caty]

1. Prevention, Wellness, Public Health, and Workforce Initiatives

"The Senate bill contains a host of prevention, wellness, and public health initiatives that create or expand various task forces and create a variety of education and grant programs. Like the House bill, the Senate bill requires chain restaurants with more than 20 locations and vending machines to disclose calorie content on their menu boards or on a poster next to the vending machine and chain restaurants to make additional nutritional information available on request. The bill requires employers with more than 50 employees to provide break time and a place for breastfeeding mothers to express milk. It also funds a demonstration project for addressing childhood obesity."

http://stealthmode.posterous.com/there-may-actually-be-health-care-reform-in-t



If it will help a woman keep and do well on her job and help her child also, it's a great idea.

[ensho]

2. kick

nt

[Cairycat]

8. Looking at your link, it's in the Senate bill

so the Senate bill's provisions apply, yes, despite not being in HR 4872?

[midnight]

3. When dealing with those who don't know any better, stating that the bottom

line will improve if women are allowed to have breaks to breastfeed is a great idea.

[msongs]

4. why are women bringing their babies to work in the first place? nt

[Bettie]

5. Most of these breaks would be for pumping

Though some women are allowed to bring their children to work...the receptionist in the local chiropractic office does it.

Some businesses have onsite day care which allows moms to take a break and go down to breastfeed too.

Allowing for it to continue even if mom is in the workforce is a net good in any case.

[Moosepoop]

6. See reply #1

"The bill requires employers with more than 50 employees to provide break time and a place for breastfeeding mothers to express milk."

[Cairycat]

7. extremely few women do

some may have access to on-site day care. It looks as though the bill only provides for expressing milk, not actual feeding. Too bad, since feeding at the breast transfers more antibodies and is in general better for mother and baby than feeding expressed milk, which still is healthier than formula or other foods in place of human milk.