Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - USBC is Hiring, Special Section on Paid Leave, & more

In this issue:

• USBC Updates
  • Celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of the PUMP Act and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act 
  • USBC is Hiring! Apply to Join the USBC Team
  • USBC in the Media: National Journal Article Quotes USBC National Policy Director
  • Coalition Letter Calling for Increased Funding for Breastfeeding in Fiscal Year 2024 Delivered to House and Senate Appropriations Committees
  • Last Chance: Make a 2023 Donation in Honor of the 25th Anniversary of the USBC
• Special Section on Paid Leave
• International News
  • Alive & Thrive Launches Workforce Wellness Program 
• National News
  • National Defense Authorization Act Passed by House and Senate
  • Annotated Bibliography on Structural Racism in the U.S. Food System
• Action Opportunities
• Funding Opportunities
• Upcoming Events
• News & Views
• Journal Publications

 denotes a USBC member organization news item        denotes a USBC-affiliated constellation news item

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USBC Updates

Celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of the PUMP Act and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act 

Friday, December 29, marks the one-year anniversary of the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act being signed into law. The PUMP Act expanded federal protection of the right to break time and a private space to nearly all workers and makes it possible for an employee to file a lawsuit against an employer that violates the law. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act gave workers the right to receive reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth recovery, and related medical conditions, including lactation. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the USBC invites you to help spread the word about these important protections. 

• A Better Balance: 
  • Explainer: “The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: What You Should Know” 
• A Better Balance, Parents Together, and MomsRising:
  • Social toolkit: "Pregnant Workers Fairness Act 1st Birthday Celebration Week of Action Toolkit"
• Center for WorkLife Law: 
  • Webpage: “Breastfeeding Employees”
• National WIC Association:
  • Webinar recording: "PUMP Act: Know Your Rights"
• U.S. Breastfeeding Committee:
  • Know Your Rights Webpage: “Understanding Protections for Pregnant and Lactating Workers”
  • Story Collector: Share how the PUMP Act is making a difference for you, your clients, or your community
  • Webpage: “The Story Of The PUMP Act's Passage Into Law”
• U.S. Department of Labor:
  • Webpage: “FLSA Protections to Pump at Work”
• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: 
  • Webpage: “What You Should Know About the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act”

          

USBC is Hiring! Apply to Join the USBC Team

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is seeking applicants for two full-time positions: 

• The Communications Manager will be responsible for shaping and executing external communications with USBC organizational stakeholders, donors, and supporters, ensuring messages are consistent, compelling, engaging, and effectively describe and promote the organization.  
• The Membership Engagement Manager will support the USBC's critical collaboration efforts by maintaining constant connection with our member stakeholders to build strong relationships, engagement, retention, and satisfaction among our organizational membership base and their representatives. 

Both are remote positions. If you see yourself in one of these roles, we encourage you to apply. Please share these opportunities widely with interested individuals in your network! 

USBC in the Media: National Journal Article Quotes USBC National Policy Director

The National Journal published an article titled, "Breast-pump coverage gets closer federal scrutiny" featuring quotes from USBC National Policy Director, Cheryl Lebedevitch. The article references the recent request for information (RFI) from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury about the potential challenges and benefits of the government requiring coverage of over-the-counter preventive products, including breastfeeding supplies. Cheryl discusses the content of the USBC response to the public comment opportunity, highlighting common challenges and considerations related to accessing lactation supplies.

Coalition Letter Calling for Increased Funding for Breastfeeding in Fiscal Year 2024 Delivered to House and Senate Appropriations Committees

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee delivered an organizational sign-on letter calling for increased funding for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding line item to House and Senate Appropriations Committee members. The letter, signed by 199 organizations, calls for the committee to direct $20M to the Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program. This funding level, $10.25M above Fiscal Year 2023, represents a critical course correction in national investment in the health, safety, and well-being of infants and young children. We will continue to accept additional signers on the letter in preparation for delivery to the full House and Senate in the new year. Individuals can amplify the impact of the letter delivery by using the USBC action tool to contact legislators about this essential funding. 

Last Chance: Make a 2023 Donation in Honor of the 25^th Anniversary of the USBC

There is still time to help the USBC achieve our goal of securing 250 donations in honor of the 25^th anniversary of the USBC. Our work together enriches the advocates who make up the First Food field with the connections, information, and resources critical for protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding and access to human milk. If you appreciate this weekly newsletter and the work of the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee, we hope you'll make a contribution by December 31, to help set us up for success in the new year. 

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Special Section on Paid Leave

The United States is one of the only countries in the world without a national paid family and medical leave program. Access to paid leave has a significant impact on breastfeeding outcomes, and the USBC and the lactation field have been active in efforts to increase access to paid leave. Highlights from the field on this policy area include:

• CAP: The Center for American Progress published "Fast Facts About Paid Leave in Colorado." The fact sheet breaks down the paid family and medical leave benefits that begin in Colorado on January 1, 2024, outlining key details about the law, including worker eligibility, job protections, and employer/employee contributions. Colorado is the first and only state in the country to enact paid leave benefits by ballot initiative.    
• CLASP: The Center for Law and Social Policy published "Putting the Pieces Together for Families with Young Children: Aligning State Health and Human Services, Nutrition, Child Care, and Paid Family and Medical Leave." The report examines the importance of aligning programs that support families with infants and toddlers, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML). The report found that coordination and collaboration between these critical programs could help increase their usage and have positive effects on families of color and families with low incomes. 
• Congress: 
  • A bipartisan group of U.S. senators and representatives released a Request for Information (RFI) on expanding access to paid leave. The information gathered will inform the ongoing bipartisan efforts in the House and Senate to devise a policy framework for expanding access to paid leave. Comments must be submitted by Wednesday, January 31. Read the press release. 
  • The House Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group released "A Year In Review: House Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group." The report summarizes the working group's first year and six Member-level meetings to date. Read the press release. 
• Missouri: Missouri Senator Tracy McCreery pre-filed Senate Bill 1069. The legislation would create the Missouri Earned Family and Medical Leave Act, providing eligible employees up to six weeks each year of wage replacement benefits to bond with a minor child within the first year of birth or placement in connection with foster care or adoption; to care for a family member with a serious health condition; to tend to one's own serious health condition; or to assume any familial responsibility because a spouse, child, or parent of an employee is on, or has been notified of an impending call to, active duty in the armed forces. The Missouri legislature allows members to pre-file bills beginning December 1, preceding the opening of the General Assembly session. Pre-filed bills are introduced on the first day of the legislative session.
• NPWF: The National Partnership for Women & Families released a statement titled "Congressional Bipartisan Paid Leave Working Group Announcement a Promising Next Step for Families and Caregivers."
• USBC: The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee released a call for stories on access to paid leave and its impact on the infant feeding experience. Submitted stories will help inform the USBC response to the Request for Information on expanding access to paid leave. 

Paid Leave News & Views

• The Washington Post: "Senate, House combine bipartisan efforts to advance paid leave" 
• Newsweek: "Americans May Get Paid for More Time Off Work"

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International News

Alive & Thrive Launches Workforce Wellness Program 

Alive & Thrive and the Innovation Incubator at FHI 360 launched the Happy Workforce Program. The program provides training and resources for employers seeking to launch or improve wellness services for their workers, including breastfeeding support. The resources include success stories from Alive & Thrive workforce lactation support programs that were implemented in Southeast Asia in 2021-2022.

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National News

National Defense Authorization Act Passed by House and Senate

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (H.R.2670) and released the associated conference report. The bill authorizes FY2024 appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Defense programs and activities, military construction, the national security programs of the Department of Energy, and the Maritime Administration. The legislation included a range of provisions relevant to the lactation field, including:

• Directing the Secretary of Defense to submit a report on timely reimbursement of donor human milk under the TRICARE program.
• Requiring the Secretary to submit a detailed report on the Department's efforts to equip 100 percent of United States embassies and consulates with dedicated lactation spaces, other than bathrooms, that are shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public for use by employees.
• Providing assistance for military spouses to obtain certifications as doulas and International Board Certified Lactation Consultants under the Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration project.
• Expanding access to paid family leave for veterans in the federal workforce.
• Expanding parental leave eligibility for fathers and adoptive parents serving in the drilling Reserve and National Guard. 

Media highlights include:

• National Military Family Association: "NDAA Update: Some Military Spouse Employment Provisions Included"
• Representative Houlahan: "Houlahan's Paid Family Leave Expansion Included in Final Defense Bill"

Annotated Bibliography on Structural Racism in the U.S. Food System

Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems published "An Annotated Bibliography on Structural Racism Present in the U.S. Food System, Tenth Edition." The publication offers a foundation for learning and communicating about structural racism in the U.S. food system, including on structural barriers to breastfeeding and disparities in breastfeeding outcomes.

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Action Opportunities

 USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS): "Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Implementation of the Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022 and Related Provisions"

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Funding Opportunities

WCA Foundation: "2024 Project Investment Grant Program." Application deadline: Thursday, January 11.

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Upcoming Events

Thursday, January 18:

• The Network for Public Health Law: "The State of State-level Public Health Advocacy"

Tuesday, January 23:

•  Center for Health Equity, Education, and Research (CHEER) CHAMPS: "Tuesday Training Session 1: Breastfeeding Policies"

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News & Views

Louisiana Illuminator: "University of Louisiana System adopts paid parental leave for employees"

National Coalition for Infant Health: "Dr. Eddie Chang: Pennsylvania's Fragile Infants Need Access to an Exclusive Human Milk Diet"

Public: "Ranking Member Scott, Vice Ranking Member Hayes Statements On Biden Implementation of Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022"

WCAX: "Burlington airport adds new lactation pod for parents"

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Journal Publications

Seminars in Perinatology: "Impacts of climate change on food security and resulting perinatal health impacts" Media highlights:

• Nation: "How newborns suffer due to effects of climate change"