Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - 2024 CDC mPINC Survey Launches & more

The USBC e-Newsletter, Staying Abreast, is published in a weekly news brief format, called the Weekly Wire (WW). Past issues are archived below.

Subscribe: visit the signup page
Submit: visit the submission form

Please note: Inclusion of an item in this e-newsletter does NOT imply endorsement or support of such item by the United States Breastfeeding Committee, unless specifically noted.

The WW goes on hiatus several times a year: the weeks of the Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Year's holidays, the weeks before the Presidents Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day holidays, and the weeks of the USBC membership meetings.

Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - 2024 CDC mPINC Survey Launches & more

1/19/2024

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- Save the Date for the Virtual 2024 USBC Conference: June 3-5
- USBC Learning Opportunities Library
- USBC in the Media: Law360 Article on Lactation Accommodations for Pilots Quotes USBC National Policy Director
- Action Opportunity: Urge Legislators to Support the AIR PUMP Act
National News
- 2024 Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) Survey Launched
- WIC Breastfeeding Support Resources for Social Media
- Continuing Resolution Passed by House and Senate
- AMCHP Birth Equity Action Map
- Bill Exempting Breastfeeding Women from Jury Duty Introduced
- Final Rule on Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
State & Community News
- New York Bill Requiring Insurer Coverage of Donor Milk Introduced
- Indiana Bill Funding the Installation of Lactation Rooms in Public Buildings Introduced
- Kentucky Bill Requiring Reasonable Accommodations for Lactating Students Introduced
- New Jersey Bill Requiring Hospitals to Distribute Informational Materials on Paid Leave Introduced
Action Opportunities
Funding Opportunities
Upcoming Events
News & Views
Journal Publications

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

USBC Updates

Save the Date for the Virtual 2024 USBC Conference: June 3-5

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is thrilled to announce that the annual USBC Conference will be hosted online this year from Monday, June 3, through Wednesday, June 5. The annual National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening (NBCC) brings together a diverse set of clinical, community, advocacy, and research professionals who recognize the public health importance of breastfeeding. This year's virtual event is designed as a workshop-style convening that maximizes capacity building opportunities along with valuable networking and connection time for attendees. Please save the dates and stay tuned for additional details.

USBC Learning Opportunities Library

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee published an updated version of the Learning Opportunities webpage. The resource library offers access to recently recorded webinars and sessions developed by or in collaboration with the USBC to spark meaningful conversations and deepen understanding of key topics in the lactation field.

USBC in the Media: Law360 Article on Lactation Accommodations for Pilots Quotes USBC National Policy Director

Law360 published "Frontier Pilots' Breast-Pumping Win Carves Path For Change." The article discusses the recent Frontier Airlines settlement that allows pilots to pump breast milk in the cockpit and how this win will reverberate in the transportation sector and beyond to expand protections for nursing workers. The article features insights from USBC National Policy Director, Cheryl Lebedevitch.

Action Opportunity: Urge Legislators to Support the AIR PUMP Act

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is urging individuals to use the "Tell Congress: Support Breastfeeding Pilots & Flight Attendants" action tool to contact their Senators and Representative in support of the AIR PUMP Act (S. 1722/H.R. 3576). Under the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act, all private sector workers have the federally protected right to time and space to pump breast milk during the workday, except for airline crewmembers. The AIR PUMP Act would expand these essential protections to flight attendants and pilots.

National News

2024 Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) Survey Launched

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the 2024 Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) Survey. The mPINC survey assesses maternity care practices and provides feedback to encourage hospitals to make improvements that better support breastfeeding. The questions focus on specific parts of maternity care that affect how babies are fed. The 2024 mPINC survey will include U.S. and territory hospitals that provide maternity care services and will be completed online only. Battelle, the contractor implementing the mPINC survey on behalf of the CDC, will contact hospitals to determine eligibility.

WIC Breastfeeding Support Resources for Social Media

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released expanded WIC Breastfeeding Support social media resources. The webpage features campaign messages, images, videos, and hashtags that can be shared on social media.

Continuing Resolution Passed by House and Senate

The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passed and the President will soon sign the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024 (H.R.2872). Known as a continuing resolution, the bill gives policymakers additional time to negotiate and pass the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills, preventing a government shutdown. Funding for agencies and programs covered by the Agriculture, Energy-Water, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD appropriations bills is extended through Friday, March 1, while the remaining appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill will be extended through Friday, March 8.

USBC Insight: Funding relevant to the breastfeeding field is primarily included in the Labor-HHS and Agriculture appropriations bills. Detailed information on funded provisions that impact the lactation field can be found on the Federal Appropriations for Breastfeeding webpage. Urge your legislators to prioritize funding for breastfeeding with the USBC "Tell Congress: Invest in Breastfeeding" action tool.

AMCHP Birth Equity Action Map

The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) released the Birth Equity Action Map. The interactive map describes urgent actions needed by specific system actors to improve birth and racial equity, and highlights where in the system funders can use their leverage to accelerate birth equity. The map was co-created by AMCHP, the University of North Carolina (UNC) Gillings School of Global Public Health, Vijaya K Hogan (VKH) Consulting LLC, and 48 other diverse partners to identify the systemic barriers and opportunities to strengthen the birth equity ecosystem.

Bill Exempting Breastfeeding Women from Jury Duty Introduced

Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the Jury Duty Exemption for Breastfeeding Act of 2023 (H.R.6908). The bill would exempt breastfeeding women from serving on a jury, upon the individual's request.

Final Rule on Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act

The U.S. Department of Labor issued the "Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act" final rule. The rule modifies Wage and Hour Division regulations to replace its analysis for determining employee or independent contractor classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The rule will become effective on Monday, March 11.

USBC Insight: Independent contractors are not protected by provisions of the FLSA, including the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, which requires employers to provide break time and a private space for employees to pump breast milk during the work day.

State & Community News

New York Bill Requiring Insurer Coverage of Donor Milk Introduced

New York State Senator Solages introduced Assembly Bill A7790 to expand coverage requirements for human donor milk. The bill would require insurers to cover the cost of pasteurized donor human milk for infants who have a documented birth weight of less than 1500 grams or have a congenital or acquired condition that places the infant at a high risk for development of necrotizing enterocolitis.

Indiana Bill Funding the Installation of Lactation Rooms in Public Buildings Introduced

Indiana State Representative Summers introduced House Bill 1126. The bill would establish a grant program to promote the installation of lactation rooms in public buildings and provide $5M for the grant fund.

Kentucky Bill Requiring Reasonable Accommodations for Lactating Students Introduced

Kentucky State Senator Armstrong introduced Senate Bill 95, an act relating to lactating students. The bill would require public schools, public charter schools, and public postsecondary institutions to provide reasonable accommodations to lactating students. Required accommodations would include access to a private and secure room, other than a restroom, to express breast milk or breastfeed an infant child; permission to bring onto a school campus a breast pump and any other equipment used to express breast milk; access to a power source; access to a place to store expressed breast milk safely; and a reasonable amount of time to accommodate the need to express breast milk, breastfeed an infant child, or address other needs related to breastfeeding without incurring an academic penalty.

New Jersey Bill Requiring Hospitals to Distribute Informational Materials on Paid Leave Introduced

New Jersey State Senator Ruiz introduced Senate Bill 2196, requiring the distribution of family leave informational materials to certain patients. The bill would require the New Jersey Department of Health to develop, in consultation with the Department of Labor, a pamphlet and informational materials on the New Jersey Family Leave Act. The department would be required to distribute the informational materials to health care professionals and health care facilities that provide maternity care services and would require health care professionals and facilities to distribute the materials to maternity care patients upon discharge.