Spartanburg Herald Journal
By Bob Montgomery
May 17, 2023
State Rep. Rosalyn Henderson-Myers of Spartanburg was honored at a White House event on May 4 for legislation modeled after her law supporting nursing mothers.
The S.C. Lactation Support Act was used by federal lawmakers to create the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Act requiring employers to provide a break time and private space for breastfeeding employees to nurse while at work.
The S.C. General Assembly passed the S.C. Lactation Support Act in 2020, and PUMP was signed into law by President Biden in December.
"I was extremely honored," said Henderson-Myers, a Democrat representing House District 31. "I don't know how many states have legislation that goes through Congress after becoming state law."
Henderson-Myers was among a group of other South Carolina lawmakers and nonprofit leaders at the White House event, "Communities in Action: Building a Better South Carolina."
The event was led by Steve Benjamin, the White House director of the Office of Public
Engagement and former mayor of Columbia.
Among those attending was Ann Warner, CEO of South Carolina WREN (Women's Rights Empowerment Network).
"She talked about me and congratulated me on the work I'm doing and how the bill I sponsored and passed was used as the model for the federal law," Henderson-Myers said.
Henderson-Myers said her legislation is important because there are more women in the workforce than ever before.
According to the White House, which backed the PUMP Act's bipartisan passage, "No new mother should face unfair treatment in the workplace because their employer refuses to provide them with reasonable break time and private, clean space needed to adequately express breast milk while at work, forcing them to choose between the health of her child and earning a paycheck."
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