Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - USBC Policy Memo Featured in Day One 2025 Project, New IYCFE Assessment Guide, & 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.

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Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - USBC Policy Memo Featured in Day One 2025 Project, New IYCFE Assessment Guide, & more

2/14/2025

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- USBC Policy Memo on Infant Nutrition Security Published by Federation of American Scientists for Day One Project
- Welcoming New USBC Member Organizations: North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine & Pamela Ramirez Roca, IBCLC, LLC
International News
- Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies Assessment Guide
- 2024 State of the World's Children Report
- OXFAM Report On How Governments Can Strengthen Care Systems
National News
- New CDC Data: Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2023
- DOE Letter on Title IX Updates & Resources To Understand What This Means
- Job Protection Act Introduced in House and Senate
State & Community News
- South Carolina Bill Introduced to Require Insurer Coverage of Lactation Consulting Services
- Illinois Bill Introduced to Require Paid Break Time for Expressing Breastmilk
- Nebraska Bill Requiring Medicaid Coverage of Breast Pumps Goes Into Effect
Upcoming Events
News & Views

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

USBC Updates

USBC Policy Memo on Infant Nutrition Security Published by Federation of American Scientists for Day One Project

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) published "Protecting Infant Nutrition Security: Shifting the Paradigm on Breastfeeding to Build a Healthier Future for all Americans," a policy memo developed by the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee as part of the Day One Project. The project aims to bring forward bold policy ideas, grounded in science and evidence, that tackle the country's biggest challenges and bring us closer to a prosperous, equitable, and safe future. The USBC policy memo outlines some of the challenges contributing to suboptimal breastfeeding rates and provides a plan of action for the federal government to take steps to address these challenges. The memo recommends increasing access to pasteurized donor human milk by directing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide guidance to states on expanding Medicaid coverage, including infant feeding in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emergency planning and response, and expanding access to paid family and medical leave by including paid leave as a priority in the President's Budget and supporting the efforts of the bipartisan, bicameral congressional Paid Leave Working Group.

Welcoming New USBC Member Organizations: North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine & Pamela Ramirez Roca, IBCLC, LLC

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is thrilled to welcome 18 organizations to the USBC member network as of January 2025! Through the coming weeks, each edition of the Weekly Wire newsletter will highlight two of the new member organizations, presented in alphabetical order. Access the archive to review past editions. The USBC warmly welcomes all new and returning member organizations to our table! This week we are highlighting the North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine and Pamela Ramirez Roca, IBCLC, LLC.

The North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine (NABBLM) establishes standards for certification in Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine (BFLM) to advance excellence in patient care across all medical disciplines. NABBLM was founded by a passionate group of seasoned Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine Specialists who identify the need to help other physicians practice this specialty by outlining an evidence-based canon of knowledge, scope of practice, and pathway to board certification.

Pamela Ramirez Roca, IBCLC, LLC provides direct care lactation services near Athens, GA. Through her private practice business, she provides compassionate and empathetic breastfeeding support, helping new mothers reach their breastfeeding goals.

International News

Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies Assessment Guide

FHI 360 released the "Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E) Assessment Guide." The guide offers a standardized methodology for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting infant and young child feeding data in emergencies. Developed to support humanitarian responders, the guide outlines a step-by-step approach to understanding the needs of infants and young children and their caregivers in emergencies and designing effective interventions that protect and support the nutrition and health of infants and young children.

2024 State of the World's Children Report

UNICEF released "The State of the World's Children 2024: The Future of Childhood in a Changing World." This report examines the forces and trends shaping our world today and reflects on how they might profoundly impact children's lives between now and the 2050s. The report calls for expanding social protection systems that support children and families, including paid parental leave.

OXFAM Report On How Governments Can Strengthen Care Systems

OXFAM Canada released the "Inspiring Governments to be Care Champions: How Advocates Are Strengthening Care Systems Around the World" report. The report explores major advocacy wins on care policy in six countries: Canada, Kenya, Mexico, the Philippines, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe. It discusses important elements that contributed to the wins and includes case studies on a variety of policy initiatives, including efforts to increase access to maternity and paternity paid leave and expand protections for breastfeeding mothers in the workplace.

National News

New CDC Data: Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2023

The CDC National Center for Health Statistics released the "Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2023." The report presents maternal mortality rates for 2023 based on data from the National Vital Statistics System. Maternal mortality rates—the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births—are shown in the report by age group and race and Hispanic origin. The maternal mortality rate for 2023 decreased to 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with a rate of 22.3 in 2022.

DOE Letter on Title IX Updates & Resources To Understand What This Means

The Department of Education issued a letter offering clarification in light of the court decision that struck down the 2024 Title IX Final Rule. The letter states that the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights will now enforce Title IX under the provisions of the 2020 Title IX Rule, rather than the 2024 Title IX Rule. Visit the "Sex Discrimination: Overview of the Law" webpage for more information.

USBC Insight: The 2024 Title IX Rule would have clarified and expanded protections for pregnant and parenting students, including those who are breastfeeding. The Pregnant Scholar released "Summary of Key Changes to the Title IX Regulations on Pregnancy and Parental Status," which compares and explains the key differences between the 2020 Title IX Rule and the vacated 2024 Rule. The Center for WorkLife Law also posted the "Recent Title IX Legal Updates" video which provides an overview of recent changes and explains what educational institutions should be doing to support pregnant and parenting students as these regulations change.

Job Protection Act Introduced in House and Senate

Representative Underwood (IL-14) and Senator Smith (D-MN) introduced the Job Protection Act (S.408/H.R.1035). The bill would expand Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) by extending protections to employees of small businesses with fewer than 50 employees, and to part-time and multi-job workers. The bill would also reduce the time an employee must work before qualifying for FMLA from 12 months to 90 days. Read the press release.

State & Community News

South Carolina Bill Introduced to Require Insurer Coverage of Lactation Consulting Services

South Carolina Senator Davis introduced South Carolina Senate Bill 42. The bill would require that every individual or group health insurance policy, as well as all Medicaid health plans, include coverage for lactation consulting services provided by certified lactation consultants. The bill would require coverage for lactation consultations, breastfeeding support services, and the necessary supplies for successful breastfeeding, such as breast pumps and their accessories, unless the prescribing provider or the patient requests a different course of care.

Illinois Bill Introduced to Require Paid Break Time for Expressing Breastmilk

Illinois Senator Fine introduced Illinois Senate Bill 212. The bill would amend the state's existing Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act to require an employer to provide 30 minutes of paid break time (rather than reasonable break time) to an employee who needs to express breast milk each time the employee has the need to express milk for one year after the child's birth, unless to do so would create an undue hardship. The bill would also allow the employee to use other paid break time or meal time for any time needed in excess of 30 minutes. Media highlights include:

Illinois Senate Democrats: "Fine, Turner outline measures to prioritize new mothers"

Nebraska Bill Requiring Medicaid Coverage of Breast Pumps Goes Into Effect

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services issued a Medicaid Provider Bulletin titled "Coverage Policy Updates: Breast Pumps and Lactation Counseling." The provider bulletin notifies Nebraska Medicaid providers of changes to the coverage of electric personal-use breast pumps for eligible fee-for-service members and shares information on Medicaid's recent coverage changes related to lactation counseling. As of January 2025, the Nebraska Medicaid program covers the cost of an electric personal-use breast pump and up to ten lactation counseling visits per child.