A new California law, Senate Bill 142 (“SB 142”), effective January 1, 2020, expands on existing Labor Code requirements for employee lactation accommodations and provides significant new consequences to employers for non-compliance.  Under pre-existing law (Cal. Labor Code 1030 et seq.), employers were required to make reasonable efforts to provide a private location, other than a bathroom, in close proximity to the employee’s work area, for employees to express milk in private and to provide reasonable break time to express milk.

SB 142 amends Cal. Labor Code section 1031 to require the following features for private lactation spaces:

• Must be safe, clean and free of hazardous materials;
• Contain a surface to place a breast pump and personal items;
• Contain a place to sit; and
• Have access to electricity or alternative devices (e.g., extension cords or charging stations) needed to operate a breast pump.

Please find the rest of this article on our Disability, Leave and Health Management blog here.