Political Quotes

“I wish to expand upon the remarks I delivered earlier today on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which this body voted to include in the omnibus spending package. I first introduced this bill in 2012 with Senator Shaheen. Senator Cassidy joined us this Congress, and the bill now has broad, bipartisan support. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is a very straightforward piece of legislation; it closes a loophole in the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act to allow pregnant workers to request reasonable accommodations so that they can continue working safely during pregnancy and upon returning to work after childbirth. This is a commonsense bill that has broad, bipartisan support--everyone from the ACLU to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the Chamber of Commerce. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is very simple. Pregnant workers should be able to request reasonable accommodations--a stool, a water bottle, a bathroom break--when such an accommodation would help them remain at work safely during their pregnancy and so they can return to work after childbirth. Other accommodations that a pregnant worker might request include, but are not limited to, light duty, temporary transfer, additional or more flexible breaks, changing food or drink policies, time off to recover from childbirth, accommodations for lactation needs, and flexible scheduling. The bill is intended to help women like Peggy Young, a UPS driver who requested light duty while she was pregnant.…”