New Express Breast Milk Guidelines

Under new guidelines created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PL 111-148), employers with more than 50 employees are required to provide “reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child’s birth each time such employee has need to express the milk,” as well as provide “a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.”  Employees exempt from Fair Labor Standards Act requirements concerning overtime pay are not eligible for such break time, but state laws may require such protections for all employees.  For additional information, see the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Fact Sheet #73.