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Statement

Washington State Healthy Starts Act A ‘Model for the Nation’: Bill extends reasonable accommodations to pregnant workers, improves breastfeeding support, maternal and infant health practices

May 16, 2017

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

Statement from Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO and Executive Director of MomsRising.org, a national online and on-the-ground organization of more than 1 million mothers and their families, on the enactment of the Healthy Starts Act in Washington State
“Today, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed the Healthy Starts Act into law – a huge win for the health and wellness of mothers and babies in the state. This bill, which passed with unanimous support in both the State House and Senate, extends reasonable workplace accommodations to pregnant workers and makes big strides in breastfeeding support and maternal and infant health practices.
 
“The Healthy Starts Act requires workplaces with fifteen or more workers to provide accommodations to pregnant employees, including scheduling flexibility for prenatal appointments. But it goes even further to aid pregnant women and new mothers. The new law requires hospitals providing Medicaid birth services, which account for half of the births in the state, to develop policies to provide immediate skin-to-skin contact and 24-hour in-rooming practices; and establishes a new state advisory group to develop future policy proposals to improve maternal and infant health systems in Washington state.
 
“MomsRising members across the state worked hard to see this bill become law. Our members took more than 2,000 actions on this issue in the past two years, testified at key hearings, and shared with legislators their stories about the impact this bill would have on Washington mothers.
 
“The Healthy Starts Act is a model for the nation. Not only does it protect pregnant workers from workplace discrimination, it also supports them through childbirth. We commend Gov. Inslee for signing the bill into law and state legislators for voting for it. It is a significant step forward for workers, mothers and babies in Washington State, as well as our public health and our economy.” 
 

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.