Rep. Payne, Jr. Votes to Protect Pregnant Women in the Workplace

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. voted for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act today.  The bill (H.R. 1065) would allow pregnant workers the right to request and receive reasonable workplace accommodations to protect their health and safety while at work.  Women are the primary, sole or co-breadwinners in more than half of American households and a growing number of pregnant women must work later into their pregnancies to maintain their family’s financial security.  Minority women are particularly vulnerable to health issues in the workplace because too many of them work in low-wage, physically-demanding jobs.  The bill would not apply to private sector businesses with less than 15 employees.

“I voted for this bill because we need more protections for pregnant women in the workplace,” said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr.  “Now, we must take the next step and support President Biden’s American Families Plan to increase protections and aid for all mothers.  We need a national maternity leave policy to give women time before and after a pregnancy to care for themselves and their families.  It is wrong that woman have to work at all in their eighth and ninth months of pregnancy in this country.”