Relating to the expression of breast milk in public buildings and providing leave for state employees to donate breast milk.
Summary
HB 1558 would require the State Preservation Board to provide a private, non-bathroom location in the Texas Capitol where a member of the public or an employee can express breast milk. It also expands public employer duties by requiring reasonable break time and a suitable private space for employees who need to express breast milk, and it adds a similar requirement for publicly accessible buildings that are newly constructed or renovated by public employers.
The bill further creates a leave provision for state agency employees to take time off, without loss of salary or accrued leave, to donate breast milk, subject to supervisor approval and limited to once per month. The measure is set to take effect September 1, 2025, and its building-related requirement applies only to construction or renovation projects begun on or after that date.
Impact
HB 1558 would amend the Government Code by adding a Capitol-specific lactation space requirement, revising public employer obligations under Section 619.004, and creating a new leave entitlement in Chapter 661 for state employees who donate breast milk. It would affect state agencies, public employers, and public building projects, while also imposing a future-facing design requirement on qualifying construction and renovation projects. The bill would not broadly regulate private employers, but it would strengthen workplace and public-facility accommodations for lactating individuals in state and public settings.
Sentiment
The available context shows no recorded committee testimony or votes, so there is no documented opposition or support in the provided materials. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to be a straightforward accommodation bill aimed at supporting breastfeeding and milk donation, with a generally protective and family-friendly policy orientation. The absence of recorded debate suggests it was, at least at this stage, not yet the subject of visible controversy in the supplied record.
Contention
No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided transcripts or vote history. Potential issues that could arise from the bill’s text include the cost and logistics of creating compliant lactation spaces in public buildings, the administrative burden on public employers and supervisors, and the scope of the new leave benefit for state employees. Any disagreement would likely center on implementation details rather than the underlying goal of supporting lactation and breast milk donation.
Requiring an employer to provide reasonable break time and accommodations for an employee who is breastfeeding the employee’s child to express breast milk for the child. (FE)
Requiring an employer to provide reasonable break time and accommodations for an employee who is breastfeeding the employee’s child to express breast milk for the child. (FE)