Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - Share Your PUMP Act/PWFA Story, Special Section on Paid Leave, & more

In this issue:

• USBC Updates
  • Help Us Educate Lawmakers: Share Your PUMP Act/PWFA Story
  • Share Your Organization's Resources, Events, and News to be Featured in the Weekly Wire 
• Special Section on Paid Leave
• National News
  • Full-Year Continuing Resolution Passed to Prevent Government Shutdown
  • MODERN WIC Act of 2025 Introduced
  • HHS Press Release on FDA Efforts to Improve Quality and Safety of Infant Formula
• State & Community News
  • CWA Engaging Dads in WIC Toolkit Updated
• Action 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

Help Us Educate Lawmakers: Share Your PUMP Act/PWFA Story

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is collecting stories to understand how the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) have made a difference for breastfeeding families. We know that juggling pregnancy, breastfeeding, a new baby, and work is not easy. However, under the PUMP Act and PWFA protections exist so that new moms don't have to sacrifice their health or the needs of their newborns at the cost of staying employed. To help shine a light on why continued attention on workplace protections for pregnant and postpartum workers is important, we invite you to share about the accommodations you, your loved ones, or your clients received (or didn't receive) and how they impacted breastfeeding. Share your story today!

Share Your Organization's Resources, Events, and News to be Featured in the Weekly Wire

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee invites you to submit your organization's news, updates, or events for consideration to be included in the Weekly Wire newsletter or other USBC communications channels. The USBC communications team is continuously seeking the latest news, action opportunities, resources, and policy updates relevant to the breastfeeding field. Please note that for inclusion in the Weekly Wire, events and resources must be free of charge and accessible to all interested individuals. USBC member organizations can submit fee-based events via the USBC Member Portal to be featured in the USBC Events Calendar. 

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Special Section on Paid Leave

Access to paid family and medical leave has a significant impact on breastfeeding outcomes. Yet, the United States is one of the only countries in the world without a national paid family and medical leave program, and many workers are not even eligible for unpaid leave. 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:

• Hawaii: A group of Hawaii legislators introduced HB755. The bill would establish paid family leave and medical leave for employees that have been at their job for at least 14 weeks and that meet a specified minimum earnings threshold, as well as to self-employed individuals who opt in to the family and medical leave insurance program. The bill would permit covered individuals to take paid family leave and medical leave on an intermittent or reduced leave schedule at their option, and provide job and health care benefit protection for employees who exercise their right to family leave and medical leave.
• Iowa: The Iowa House of Representatives passed House File 889 with strong bipartisan support. Under this legislation, state employees who give birth or adopt a child would be entitled to four weeks of paid leave, while state employee parents who do not give birth would be entitled to one week of paid leave. Media highlights include:
  • The Gazette: "Capitol Notebook: Iowa House passes Gov. Reynolds’ paid parental leave bill"
• Oklahoma: Oklahoma State Representative Dollens introduced the Oklahoma Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HB1963). The bill would grant eligible employees the right to earn paid sick time for personal or family health needs. The bill would mandate that employees accrue a minimum of one hour of paid sick time for every thirty 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours of paid sick time in a year for an employee of a small business, and 56 hours of paid sick time in a year for an employee of a business that does not meet the statutory definition of a small business.
• Washington: A group of Washington State Senators introduced SB 5539. This bill would expand protections for workers in the state paid family and medical leave program, extending rights to any employee who began employment with their current employer at least 90 calendar days before taking leave, regardless of the size of the employer. The bill would also expand health care coverage protection during any period in which an employee receives paid family and medical leave benefits and would ensure employment protection.

Paid Leave News & Views:

• Motherly: "Women’s pro tennis players now eligible for paid maternity leave—a historic win for women in sports"
• Mississippi Today: "Early education expert: It’s time to provide paid family leave to help protect babies"
• MPR News: "'We must do something': Paid leave program back before Minnesota lawmakers ahead of 2026 launch"
• Nonstop Local: "Washington workers gain protections with new paid leave bill"
• The Minnesota Star Tribune: "Counterpoint: As a small-business owner, I assure you we want and need paid leave"

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National News

Full-Year Continuing Resolution Passed to Prevent Government Shutdown

The House and Senate passed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (H.R. 1968) to fund the government through September 30, 2025, which marks the end of the 2025 fiscal year. The bill provides continuing appropriations to federal agencies for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2025, including an additional $567 million investment in WIC. It is known as a continuing resolution (CR) and prevents the government shutdown that would have occurred if the Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations bills had not been enacted when the previous CR expired on March 14, 2025. The CR was signed by the President on March 15, 2025. Highlights from the field include:

•  National WIC Association: "Congress Passes FY 2025 Funding Bill, Ensuring Full WIC Funding and Averting Government Shutdown"
• Congressional Research Service: "Appropriations Status Table: FY2025"
   

MODERN WIC Act of 2025 Introduced

The More Options to Develop and Enhance Remote Nutrition (MODERN) in WIC Act or the MODERN WIC Act (H.R.1464) has been introduced in the House. This bipartisan bill would make WIC benefits more accessible to low-income families, while increasing child retention in the program, by allowing them to certify and recertify for WIC services remotely. Read the press release.

HHS Press Release on FDA Efforts to Improve Quality and Safety of Infant Formula

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a press release, "HHS, FDA Announce Operation Stork Speed to Expand Options for Safe, Reliable, and Nutritious Infant Formula for American Families." The press release announces that HHS is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take steps to enhance its efforts to ensure the ongoing quality, safety, nutritional adequacy, and resilience of the domestic infant formula supply. The FDA will take steps on infant formula safety, including starting the nutrient review process and increasing testing for heavy metals and other contaminants. The agency is also collaborating with the National Institutes of Health and other scientific bodies to address scientific research gaps regarding short and long-term health outcomes associated with formula feeding in infancy and childhood across the lifespan.

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State & Community News

CWA Engaging Dads in WIC Toolkit Updated

The California WIC Association announced the newly updated "Engaging Dads and Father-Figures in WIC" toolkit. This updated toolkit provides simple tips and resources WIC agencies can utilize to enhance the engagement of dads and father figures as they provide vital services for their partners and children. The toolkit includes recommendations on staff training, building relationships with dads, including father figures in WIC program evaluations, and much more.

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Action Opportunities

 California Breastfeeding Coalition: "Lactation Impact Awards." Nominations deadline: Tuesday, April 15.

 North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition: "Black & Brown Perinatal Support Providers: Participate in an exclusive feature during our upcoming NCBC meeting." Registration deadline: n/a.

Women's Rights and Empowerment Network: "Support for Senate Bill 11: Expanding Paid Family Leave for All State Employees." Action deadline: n/a.

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Upcoming Events

Tuesday, March 25:

•  New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force: "Virtual: Lactation & Interpersonal/Intimate Partner Violence Training"

Wednesday, March 26:

• Public Health Insitute: "Building Narrative Power for Health: Strategies and Tools for This Moment"

On-Demand:

•  Michigan Breastfeeding Network - Great Lakes Breastfeeding Webinars: "Beyond the Golden: How Nurses Can Support the Lactating Family"

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News & Views

Legal Momentum: "LM in Action: A Step Backward for Educational Equality"

Medical Xpress: "Breastfeeding is crucial to shaping infant's microbes and promoting lung health, study shows"

OhioHealth: "OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital Earns Top Recognition for Breastfeeding Support"

Runners World: "10 Great Marathons for Moms and Families"

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Journal Publications

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing: "Expectations and Perspectives About Infant Feeding of Their First Child Among Rural Women" Media highlights include:

• St. Louis Public Radio: "First-time rural Missouri moms breastfeed less than urban or suburban moms, study finds"

Obesity: "Fetal exposure to gestational diabetes severity and postnatal infant feeding in the first year of life associated with preadolescent obesity: a prospective cohort"