In her role as Legislative Director for the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, Mary Ann Ruiz is working with Senator Lori Berman and Representative Ashley V. Gantt, Esq. to pass legislation in Florida to provide lactation spaces in county courthouses for breastfeeding mothers.
For several years, FAWL has worked to promote lactation space legislation. By providing breastfeeding mothers a clean and safe space, lactation spaces remove a barrier for women returning to the workplace, serving the public as jurors, attending legal proceedings, and accessing courthouse services.
SB 144 and HB 87 are also in line with recent federal legislation. Most recently in December 2022, Congress passed the PUMP For Nursing Mothers Act with strong, bipartisan support, providing lactation spaces in the workplace. This act further expanded on the Federal Fairness of Breastfeeding Mothers Act of 2019, providing for lactation spaces in Federal Courthouses.
The bill passed the Senate unanimously in 2022.
