On the recordSeptember 17, 2020
Today we act so that women will no longer experience the fear of not knowing if they can maintain their family's financial security while they are pregnant. As the number of women who work as the primary breadwinners in their households continues to rise, this financial insecurity rises as well. While growing up, my mother was forced out of the Navy because she was pregnant. Although times have changed, mothers are still being forced out of their employment due to the absence of reasonable accommodations. I know first-hand the pressures of being that single source of income for my household, and I have seen how Black and Latina workers are overrepresented in low-wage, physically demanding jobs that need pregnancy accommodations for them to stay safe. More than a decade ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was amended to better implement the principle that physical or mental disabilities should be met with reasonable accommodations. Pregnancy is not considered a disability under the ADA, however, enabling employers to deny reasonable accommodations like allowing pregnant employees to sit on a stool rather than stand during a long shift. This bill would correct that, and I would like to include in the Record a letter from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities addressed to Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Foxx in support of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.…
