SB 1030 would revise Connecticut’s workplace breastfeeding law to require employers to provide a reasonable break time whenever an employee needs to express breast milk or breastfeed on site, rather than limiting the break to meal or rest periods. The bill also requires employers to make reasonable efforts to provide a private location near the work area, other than a toilet stall, where the employee can express milk, and—if doing so would not create an undue hardship—to provide privacy, access to refrigeration or cold storage, and an electrical outlet.
The bill further prohibits employers from discriminating against, disciplining, or otherwise taking adverse employment action against an employee for exercising these rights. It defines key terms such as “employer,” “employee,” “reasonable efforts,” and “undue hardship,” and applies the requirements to private employers as well as the state and its political subdivisions. The act is scheduled to take effect October 1, 2025, and would amend existing statute section 31-40w.
Impact
The bill would strengthen and expand existing workplace lactation protections in Connecticut by making the break-time right more explicit and more flexible, and by clarifying employer obligations to provide a suitable private space and related accommodations when feasible. It would affect employers across the state, including public employers, and would likely require workplace policy updates, facility planning, and compliance training to avoid violations of the anti-retaliation and accommodation provisions.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests broad support for the bill in the Labor and Public Employees Committee. It received a 12-1 vote to draft and then a unanimous 13-0 joint favorable vote, indicating that committee members generally viewed the measure positively and saw it as a reasonable workplace protection for nursing employees.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the scope of employer obligations, especially the requirement to provide a private lactation space, refrigeration or cold storage, and an electrical outlet, all subject to an undue hardship standard. Any debate would likely center on how burdensome these requirements are for small businesses or workplaces with limited space, versus the employee-rights and public health benefits of supporting breastfeeding employees. The bill text also updates the law from a discretionary break tied to meal periods to a mandatory break whenever needed, which expands employee rights and could be a focus of employer concern.