This bill would require the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to ensure that every job center, SNAP center, medical assistance program center of the Department of Social Services/Human Resources Administration, as well as every city-owned borough office of the Administration for Children’s Services and the Nicholas Scoppetta Children’s Center, and every health center operated or maintained by DOHMH, to make at least one lactation room available upon request to an individual utilizing on-site services. The presence of such a lactation room shall not interfere with such an individual’s right to breastfeed in public. DOHMH would be required to create a poster containing information on breast-feeding, an individual’s right to breastfeed in nurse in public, and the availability of lactation rooms pursuant to this section. The poster would be made available by DOHMH and displayed in a clear and conspicuous manner in the waiting room of any public space where a lactation room is required to be made available. DOHMH would also be required to create a list of all public spaces with lactation rooms and make this list available on its website. The bill would also require the Department of Education to submit to the Speaker of the Council on or before August 1, 2017 and on or before every August 1 thereafter, a report summarizing policies at NYC public schools to allow a student or parent/guardian of a student to access a lactation room upon request.
- Enacted
History
Affirmative
- Inez D. Barron
- Joseph C. Borelli
- James G. Van Bramer
- Fernando Cabrera
- Margaret S. Chin
- Andrew Cohen
- Costa G. Constantinides
- Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.
- Elizabeth S. Crowley
- Laurie A. Cumbo
- Chaim M. Deutsch
- Daniel Dromm
- Rafael L. Espinal, Jr.
- Mathieu Eugene
- Julissa Ferreras-Copeland
- Vincent J. Gentile
- Vanessa L. Gibson
- David G. Greenfield
- Barry S. Grodenchik
- Corey D. Johnson
- Ben Kallos
- Andy L. King
- Peter A. Koo
- Karen Koslowitz
- Rory I. Lancman
- Stephen T. Levin
- Mark Levine
- Alan N. Maisel
- Melissa Mark-Viverito
- Steven Matteo
- Darlene Mealy
- Carlos Menchaca
- Rosie Mendez
- Donovan J. Richards
- Ydanis A. Rodriguez
- Deborah L. Rose
- Helen K. Rosenthal
- Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
- Ritchie J. Torres
- Mark Treyger
- Eric A. Ulrich
- James Vacca
- Paul A. Vallone
- Jumaane D. Williams
Int. No. 1063-A
By Council Members Cornegy, Cumbo, Johnson, Garodnick, Grodenchik, Chin, Levin, Kallos, Treyger, Rosenthal, Koslowitz, Menchaca, Wills, Barron and Ulrich (by request of the Brooklyn Borough President)
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring lactation rooms in certain locations providing services to the public
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 17 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 17-199.1 to read as follows:
§ 17-199.1 Lactation rooms. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, “lactation room” means a sanitary place that is not a restroom that can be used to breastfeed or express milk in private, and which includes an electrical outlet, a chair, and nearby access to running water.
b. Every job center, SNAP center, or medical assistance program center of the department of social services/human resources administration; city-owned borough office of the administration for children’s services and the Nicholas Scoppetta children’s center; and health center operated or maintained by the department shall, where practicable, make at least one lactation room available upon request to an individual utilizing on-site services. The presence of such a lactation room shall not abrogate such an individual’s right to breastfeed in public pursuant to article 7 of the civil rights law.
c. The department shall create a poster containing information on breast-feeding, an individual’s right to nurse in public, and the availability of lactation rooms pursuant to this section. Such poster shall be made available on the department’s website, shall be displayed in any lactation room required to be made available pursuant to this section, and shall be displayed in a clear and conspicuous manner in the waiting room of any public space where a lactation room is required to be made available pursuant to this section. No later than one year after the effective date of the local law adding this subdivision, the department shall create a list of all locations with lactation rooms available pursuant to this section. Such list shall be made available on the department’s website.
d. The department of education shall submit to the speaker of the city council on or before August 1, 2017, and on or before every August 1 thereafter, a report summarizing the policies at New York city public schools to allow a student or the parent or guardian of a student access to a lactation room upon request. Such report shall indicate how information regarding such policies was communicated to students, parents and guardians during the previous school year.
e. The department may promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section including, but not limited to, establishing training programs for staff working at locations required to make a lactation room available pursuant to subdivision b, and providing guidelines concerning the location of a lactation room.
§ 2. This local law takes effect July 1, 2017.
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6/13/2016 10:58pm