Black State Representative Honored at White House For Her Model Bill for Nursing Mothers

In 2018, Rep. Roslyn Henderson-Myers filed her first bill, “The South Carolina Nursing Mothers Act.” Today, the Spartanburg-bred community activist and leader is officially receiving her flowers.

During an early May event, the White House honored Henderson-Myers for her resilient efforts in putting families first and protecting nursing mothers in the workplace. The Spartan Herald-Journal reported that her bill encouraged Congress to establish the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Act, which requires employers to ensure that breastfeeding mothers have the time and private space they need to pump. This is a win!

Henderson-Myers, a Democrat representing House District 31, is proud to have witnessed her bill gain traction from the state house all the way into federal legislation. The purpose of her bill was to “incentivize public and private employers to add private nursing areas to their buildings and provide breaks for employees who are nursing.”

It took two years since the original filing for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to sign the “South Carolina Lactation Support Act into law, which also requires employers to pay an hourly employee for any time spent pumping milk while on the job. PUMP was signed into law on Dec. 29, 2022, by President Biden.

“I was extremely honored,” she told the Herald-Journal. “I don’t know how many states have legislation that goes through Congress after becoming state law.”

Proud to announce that I have just filed my first bill – “The South Carolina Nursing Mothers Act”.

This bill would incentivize public and private employers to add private #nursingareas to their buildings and provide breaks for employees who are nursing. pic.twitter.com/6STp4gVtPS

— Rosalyn Henderson Myers (@RepRosHM) January 25, 2018

The federal law comes when more women are in the workforce than ever before. But the hardships Black woman professionals face are present in every workplace, from entry-level to executive roles.

Breastfeeding on the job is among many challenges, especially without the proper protections. According to Congress, working mothers of color have the right to pump safely and avoid serious health consequences.

“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 their health and the health of her child, and earning a paycheck,” the White House recorded in a statement of administration policy.

“Yet millions of new working mothers, disproportionately working mothers of color, face this challenge every day.”