DePaul Community Health Centers’ (DCHC) Infant Equity Education Program (DIEEP) is awarding 10 small businesses in Orleans Parish a $1,000 grant to assist in complying with the Providing Urgent Maternal Protection for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act, which mandates that all employers provide reasonable, paid break times for employees to express milk in a private, non-bathroom space. Applications are due on or before Friday, Aug. 9. The PUMP Act Compliance Grant will assist eligible small businesses in converting a private, non-bathroom space within twelve days for nursing individuals to express milk.
The eligible small business owners may apply to purchase the following compliance items: comfortable chair(s), nursing room display signage, door locks, a table, and refrigeration to meet the requirements of the PUMP Act. Additionally, all winning businesses will be listed in the monthly DIEEP article as a “breastfeeding friendly workplace”.
Small business owners must email Erin London at erin.london@dscno.org with questions regarding the grant application, which must be submitted on or before Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, at COB 5 p.m. CST. Any applications submitted after the designated deadline will not be considered. Awarded businesses will be notified on Aug. 12, 2024, and total space conversion must be met between Aug. 13 – Aug. 26, 2024. Funds will be disseminated to all awardees at the “Tickled Pink to Support Breastfeeding” DIEEP event hosted at Salon22 on Aug. 29, 2024 — grantees will be given event information upon receiving award announcement.
The Providing Urgent Maternal Protection for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act) is a federal law that took effect on April 28, 2023. It protects the right of employees to express breast milk in the workplace during their nursing child’s first year. Specifically, the PUMP Act mandates that all employers provide reasonable, paid break times for employees to express milk in a private, non-bathroom space equipped with a work surface/table, comfortable chair, refrigerator, operable electrical outlets, a lockable door, and proximity to a sink and faucet with paper towels and soap (water source not mandated to be within nursing space).
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Labor mandates that Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) covered employers must comply with the PUMP Act or risk the following consequences: a Notice of Failure with a 10-day compliance period, an FLSA member site visit, a civil money penalty, back wages for the affected nursing employee, and a meeting with administration or the agency board of directors. Furthermore, this essential Act establishes a baseline of protections, allowing states and municipalities to enact more comprehensive measures.