D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 4, r. 4-518

Current through Register Vol. 71, No. 49, December 6, 2024

Rule 4-518 - BREASTFEEDING GUIDELINES

518.1

The Office and the Commission adopt this section for the following purposes:

(a) To implement the provisions of the Act regarding discrimination based on breastfeeding in employment, housing, public accommodations, or educational institutions, including all agencies of the District of Columbia government and its contractors or grantees;

(b) To provide guidance with regard to the requirements of the law to all employers, housing providers, businesses, organizations, educational institutions, and District government agencies and contractors seeking compliance with the law;

(c) To educate the public on the behaviors, conduct, and actions that constitute unlawful discrimination based on breastfeeding;

(d) To ensure that breastfeeding mothers and their children are treated with dignity and respect; and

(e) To guide the internal processing of complaints filed with the Office.

518.2

The Office shall provide information to employers and employees regarding their rights and obligations under this section. Employers shall conspicuously post and maintain in the workplace a notice containing this information.

518.3

Each employer shall create a policy with respect to its employees who are breastfeeding mothers; provided, that such policy shall not contain any rules or guidelines which dictate whether the mother's breast, or any part of it, is uncovered during or incidental to the breastfeeding of her child. The policy shall be posted along with the notice required by § 518.2.

518.4

A breastfeeding mother shall have rights to include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) The right to breastfeed her child in any location, public or private, where she has the right to be with her child;

(b) The right to breastfeed or express breast milk in accordance with this section, notwithstanding any other provision of District of Columbia law governing indecent exposure or the definition of the private or intimate parts of a female person, including that portion of the breast that is below the top of the areola;

(c) The right to be free from any workplace disciplinary action because of the exposure of any part of her breast during breastfeeding or while expressing breast milk;

(d) The right to be free from harassment or ridicule in the workplace because of her breastfeeding or expressing breast milk; and

(e) The right to workplace accommodations while breastfeeding or expressing breast milk.

518.5

Employers shall accommodate breastfeeding employees by taking steps including, but not limited to, the following:

(a) Affording reasonable daily break periods, paid or unpaid, so that the employee may breastfeed her child or express breast milk to maintain milk supply or relieve physical discomfort; provided, that an employer may require that such break periods run concurrently with any break periods already afforded; provided further, that an employer shall not be required to provide breastfeeding-related break periods if doing so would create an undue hardship;

(b) Affording flexible schedule, job-sharing, or telecommuting arrangements, if none are already afforded, unless doing so would create an undue hardship; and

(c) Making reasonable efforts to provide a sanitary room or other location in close proximity to the work area, other than a bathroom or toilet stall, where an employee can breastfeed or express breast milk in privacy and security. The location:

(1) May include a childcare facility in close proximity to the work area; or

(2) If at the work area, shall have adequate lighting, ventilation, and an electrical outlet (if necessary for a pumping device), and may, but not be required to have, a lock for privacy, a sink with a safe water source, a comfortable chair, a small table, and a clock; and

(d) Allowing the employee to bring into the workplace a small refrigerator or freezer to store breast milk.

518.6

It shall be a discriminatory practice:

(a) For a childcare facility to discriminate based on whether a child is on breast milk or formula; and

(b) For an employer, employment agency, or labor organization to refuse to hire or employ, to bar or discharge from employment, to withhold pay, demote, or penalize a breastfeeding employee because the employee breastfeeds or expresses milk in the workplace, or otherwise to deny the employee any right provided under this section.

518.7

The procedure for resolving cases involving breastfeeding shall include the following:

(a) An aggrieved person shall file a written complaint with the Office alleging a violation of this section within one (1) year of the occurrence or the discovery of the occurrence;

(b) The Office shall docket the complaint within five (5) days of its receipt of the complaint and shall complete the investigation within thirty (30) days of its commencement or as soon as practicable thereafter;

(c) The complaint shall be considered dismissed if no probable cause is found, and the complainant may seek judicial review in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia;

(d) If the Office determines that probable cause exists that discrimination based on a breastfeeding, the matter shall be sent to conciliation to determine if the parties wish to conciliate; and

(e) If the parties do not conciliate, or do not reach an agreement within thirty (30) days of the commencement of conciliation, the case will be sent to the Commission for adjudication under its policies and procedures. The Commission will seek to expedite the proceedings, when practicable.

518.8

When used in this section, the following terms shall the following meaning:

(a) Reasonable efforts - any effort that would not impose an undue hardship on the operation of an employer's business.

(b) Undue hardship - any action that requires significant difficulty or expense when considered in relation to factors such as the size of an employer's business, its financial resources, and the nature and structure of its operation.

D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 4, r. 4-518

Final Rulemaking published at 56 DCR 006029 (July 31, 2009)