Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. MANNING. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. As a working mother, this bill is very personal to me.

When I was pregnant with my third child, I experienced premature labor and my doctor ordered me to be on bed rest for ten weeks.

I was fortunate to work for an employer who allowed me to keep my job, work a reduced schedule from home, and continue earning my wages.

After my daughter was born, I was still able to take my full maternity leave to care for her.

Once I returned to the office, I continued to work for that same firm for many years, in part because of the accommodations that were made for me during my pregnancy.

This is an experience that should not be unique to me.

The Pregnant Workers' Fairness Act will ensure that every person who needs reasonable accommodations during pregnancy will be given those accommodations so they can continue to support their family and contribute to their workplace.

I am proud to cast my vote in favor of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and I urge my colleagues to join me.

Madam Speaker, I also include in the Record a letter from the National Education Association. May 11, 2021. Hon. Robert C. Scott, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Congressman Scott: On behalf of our 3 million members and the 50 million students they serve, we urge you to vote YES on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 1065). Votes on this issue may be included in the NEA Report Card for the 117th Congress.

More than three-quarters of women--half the American workforce and nearly 80 percent of educators--will be pregnant and employed at some point in their lives. Women are important breadwinners in their families, yet all too often, pregnant women are pushed out of their jobs or forced to risk their health to continue earning a paycheck. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2021 would help by:

Clarifying existing laws and creating a uniform national standard for reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions;

Providing reasonable accommodations to pregnant women to reduce health risks to them and their babies;

Prohibiting employers from denying a pregnant worker employment opportunities or forcing the worker to take an accommodation that she does not want or need;

Prohibiting employers from forcing a pregnant worker to take leave when another reasonable accommodation could keep her on the job;

Requiring the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to make rules implementing the law, including a list of exemplary accommodations that should be provided unless they pose an undue hardship to employers; and

Addressing this issue through a framework modeled after the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Every pregnant worker should be able to support her family, without risking the health either of herself or her unborn child. H.R. 1065 is crucial to bringing about fairness in the workplace for pregnant workers, and we urge you to vote YES. Sincerely, Marc Egan, Director of Government Relations, National Education Association.

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