Connecticut: Lactation Accommodation Requirements Expanded

Effective October 1, 2021, House Bill No. 5158 amends existing Connecticut statute to expand employer’s obligations to accommodate lactating employees.  Presently, all Connecticut employers must make reasonable efforts to provide a room or private location that is not a toilet stall for lactating employees to express breast milk. The bill expands upon this requirement by specifying that the room or other location must:

• Be free from intrusion and shielded from the public;
• Be situated near a refrigerator or employee-provided portable cold storage device in which breast milk can be stored; and
• Have access to an electrical outlet.

Exceptions may apply where providing such accommodations imposes an “undue hardship” upon the employer’s business.

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