If you are among those who plan to visit your congresswomen or men to discuss the merits of the Maloney Bill (the subject of a prior posts here and here on baby gooroo), you may find the following documents prepared by the District of Columbia Breastfeeding Coalition helpful. They include a summary of talking points to guide your discussion and a listing of current sponsors of the bill and relevant committees.

DOCUMENT #1

HELP WORKING FAMILIES STAY HEALTHY

SUPPORT BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS IN THE WORKPLACE

• Breastfeeding is good for mothers, babies, and society

Infants who are not breastfed are more likely to be hospitalized for respiratory and diarrheal infections and suffer from debilitating diseases such as asthma and childhood obesity. Breastfeeding also provides a potential protection against SIDS and protects mothers against breast and ovarian cancer. Breastfeeding has significant economic and environmental benefits by improving maternal and child health as well as decreasing the costs of formula for families. Encouraging breastfeeding also benefits employers. Breastfed infants are healthier and therefore parents with breastfed infants have an almost 3-fold reduction in absenteeism to care for sick infants. Given all these benefits, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants breastfeed for at least 1 year and as long afterwards as mutually desired by the mother and infant.

• Interest in breastfeeding is at an all-time high—77% of women breastfeed their infants at birth.

• Breastfeeding rates drop rapidly after hospital discharge. Only 40% of all U.S. infants, including only 20% of African American infants, are breastfeeding at 6 months.

More than 50% of women with infants less than 1 year old are in the labor force. Employed mothers are more likely to stop breastfeeding early if they do not receive the support they need in the workplace.

SUPPORT THE BREASTFEEDING PROMOTION ACT OF 2007

Forty-seven states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands already have enacted various laws protecting breastfeeding mothers but they are not uniform and most are not comprehensive. We are asking you to support the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2007 to provide a unified national policy to keep mothers, their children and their communities healthy.

Co-Sponsor H.R. 2236 Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2007

The Breastfeeding Promotion Act includes four provisions:

1. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding women from being fired or discriminated against in the workplace.

2. Provides tax incentives for businesses that establish private, lactation areas in the workplace.

3. Provides for a performance standard to ensure breast pumps are safe and effective.

4. Allows breastfeeding equipment and lactation services to be tax deductible for families.

DOCUMENT #2

H.R.2236 Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2007

Title: To amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding by new mothers; to provide for a performance standard for breast pumps; and to provide tax incentives to encourage breastfeeding.

Sponser: Maloney, Carolyn NY

Co-Sponsors:
Arkansas—Vic Snyder; Arizona—Raul Grijalva; California—Lois Capps, Susan Davis, Bob Filner, Michael Honda, Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Fortney Pete Stark, Lynn Woolsey; Colorado—Diana DeGette; Connecticut—Christopher Shays; Illinois—Bobby Rush; Maine—Thomas Allen; Massachusetts—Barney Frank, John Olver; Minnesota—Keith Ellison; New York—Carolyn McCarthy, Gregory Meeks, Jose Serrano, Louise Slaughter; North Carolina—David Price; Ohio—Stephanie Jones, Marcy Kaptur, Dennis Kucinich; Pennsylvania—Allyson Schwartz; Tennessee—Steve Cohen; Texas—Sheila Jackson-Lee; Virginia—James Moran; Washington—Brian Baird

Relevant Committees: House Ways and Means; House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health; House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions

For a complete listing of committee and subcommittee members go here.