Breastfeeding Rights Expanded in Connecticut

Effective October 1, 2021, breastfeeding employees will be eligible for some expanded comforts. Current law requires an employer with one or more employees to provide a room, or other location, in close proximity to the work area, other than a toilet stall, for an employee to express milk in private. The new law provides that unless doing so creates an undue hardship on the employer, the room provided to the employee shall be free from intrusion and shielded from the pubic while the employee expresses breast milk, and include, or be situated near, a refrigerator, or employee provided portable cold storage device in which the employee can store her breast milk, and include access to an electrical outlet.

To claim undue hardship, an employer will need to show significant difficulty or expense when considered in relation to the size of the business, its financial resources, and the nature and structure of its operation.