Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - USBC Executive Director Job Posting, Call for Stories on Breastfeeding and Childcare, & more

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Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - USBC Executive Director Job Posting, Call for Stories on Breastfeeding and Childcare, & more

3/8/2024

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- USBC is Hiring: Executive Director Position Posted
- Call for Stories: Breastfeeding Support in Childcare Centers
- AANHPI Breastfeeding Caucus Meeting
- Technical Assistance Sessions on USBC Infant Feeding Survey Tool
National News
- Fiscal Year 2024 Federal Budget Update
State & Community News
- California Bill Introduced to Expand Access to Postpartum Support for Incarcerated Persons
- Illinois Bill Introduced to Provide Lactation Spaces for Corrections Staff
- New Jersey Bill Introduced to Expand Protections for Breastfeeding Employees
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

USBC is Hiring: Executive Director Position Posted

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is accepting applications for the Executive Director role. The Executive Director is responsible for leading and overseeing all aspects of the USBC portfolio of work, including the organization's strategic direction, program development, daily operations, and achievement of financial objectives. This position serves as a public face of the organization, advocating and collaborating closely with the board, staff, partners, and supporters to advance the USBC mission and create positive momentum to support breastfeeding. The Executive Director will lead the dedicated, all-virtual staff team, prioritizing a positive work culture where all employees have opportunities to develop and apply new skills, independently shape and implement equity-focused initiatives, and build partnerships with broad and diverse community stakeholder groups. Review this and other job opportunities on the USBC website.

Call for Stories: Breastfeeding Support in Childcare Centers

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is collecting stories from parents and providers on how childcare influences the breastfeeding journey. Early Care and Education Centers (ECEs) play a pivotal role in ensuring babies continue to be fed breast milk, even when they are away from their parents. While many babies start out breastfeeding, 60% of mothers stop breastfeeding earlier than they intend. Many barriers impact breastfeeding duration, including the lack of breastfeeding support in childcare settings. Share your story with us today to help us understand what's working and where additional attention is needed.

AANHPI Breastfeeding Caucus Meeting

Grace Yee and Tonya Lang are hosting a gathering for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Identity Caucus today, Friday, March 8, at 3 p.m. ET. Identity Caucuses are safe spaces for those within a broad and diverse community to establish and nurture connections with people who have a shared identity. We all have a role to play in eliminating disparities in access to lactation-supportive policies, systems, and environments, but our individual identities impact how we experience inequities and the work we must do to address them. This week’s AANHPI Caucus meeting will be focused on finalizing planned activities for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month taking place in May. All input is welcome! If you are interested in participating in this or any other identity caucus, please complete the Identity Caucus Interest Form.

Technical Assistance Sessions on USBC Infant Feeding Survey Tool

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee data survey tool, Infant Feeding in the U.S, is live and organizations are invited to participate. With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the USBC is using the "Rebel.Science" platform to host this simple survey tool and support maternal and child health stakeholders in collecting timely and accurate data on infant feeding at the organizational, state, and national levels. Organizations are able to brand the survey with their own logo and images and distribute the five-question multiple choice survey to their clients who have given birth within the past six months. The tool is a great resource for clinician offices, Healthy Start sites, WIC clinics, and all direct service organizations working with postpartum families. As more organizations engage, survey hosts will be able to compare their (de-identified) results with other participating organizations. In collaboration with the designers at Rebel.Science, the USBC is hosting technical assistance (TA) sessions to help organizations launch their survey. Join us to get your data project off to a great start and answer any questions. Register below:

National News

Fiscal Year 2024 Federal Budget Update

Last week, the Extension of Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act, 2024 (H.R.7463) was signed into law. 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, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bills are extended through Friday, March 8, while the remaining appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill are extended through Friday, March 22.

This week, the House and Senate passed a six-bill appropriations package. The bipartisan agreement includes the appropriations bills on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. The legislation includes a more than $1 billion increase for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), totaling just over $7 billion in program funding. This will allow WIC to serve projected caseloads for fiscal year 2024 without reverting to waiting lists.

Highlights from the field include:

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: "Spending Bill Rightly Prioritizes Vital WIC and Housing Voucher Funding; Rejects Calls for Deeper Cuts"
House Appropriations Committee: "Appropriations Committees Release First FY24 Package"
National WIC Association: "National WIC Association Applauds More than $1 Billion in Additional Funding for WIC in New Government Funding Bill"
Senate Committee on Appropriations: "Murray, Top Appropriators Release Minibus"

State & Community News

California Bill Introduced to Expand Access to Postpartum Support for Incarcerated Persons

California state Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan introduced Assembly Bill 2527. Under existing California law, a pregnant person incarcerated in state prison must be provided access to community-based programs serving pregnant, birthing, or lactating incarcerated persons and authorizes that person to elect to have a support person present during labor, childbirth, and postpartum recovery. In the event that a person's request for these supports is denied, the reason for the denial must be provided in writing to the incarcerated person. The proposed bill would extend these requirements to county jails and reduce the denial notice requirement timeline from fifteen working days after the request to two days.

Illinois Bill Introduced to Provide Lactation Spaces for Corrections Staff

Illinois state Representative Mayfield introduced and the Illinois Labor and Commerce Committee passed House Bill 4819. The bill would amend the Unified Code of Corrections to require the Illinois Department of Corrections to provide lactation or nursing rooms for personnel of the Department. The bill would require rooms to be provided in each facility of the Department that employs nursing mothers.

New Jersey Bill Introduced to Expand Protections for Breastfeeding Employees

New Jersey state Assemblywoman McCoy and Assemblywoman Quijano introduced A3544. The bill would expand existing protections for lactating workers that provide the right to reasonable break time and a private space to pump breast milk, by requiring break time to be paid and allowing for job restructuring and a modified work schedule. The bill would also specify that the lactation space must be free from intrusion.