What's happening
This bill requires new or renovated public transportation facilities in New York to provide private lactation rooms for nursing mothers.
Why it matters
Improves accessibility and support for nursing mothers. By requiring private lactation rooms with basic amenities (chair, electrical outlet, and, in some cases, a sink) outside of restrooms, the bill aims to make public transportation facilities more accommodating for breastfeeding or pumping.
Applies to a broad range of public spaces. The requirements cover not just new construction but also major renovations or expansions of service areas (like highway rest stops), interstate roadside rest areas, and large railroad or bus stations, ensuring that upgrades to existing infrastructure also include lactation accommodations.
Targets high-traffic transportation hubs. The bill specifically focuses on stations and facilities with significant passenger use (over 500,000 passengers/year), maximizing impact where the need is likely highest and helping normalize breastfeeding in public spaces.
Sets a clear standard for facility design. By defining what qualifies as substantial renovation and clearly outlining the minimum requirements for lactation rooms, the legislation provides enforceable guidelines for compliance and avoids ambiguity in implementation.
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Who cares
Nursing mothers traveling through transportation facilities
The bill would require private lactation spaces with a chair and electrical outlet outside public restrooms at covered stations and highway facilities.
New York State Thruway Authority
The bill would require nursing rooms at service areas selling food when those areas are newly built, replaced, expanded or substantially renovated.
State transportation officials
The bill would require private nursing rooms or areas when restroom-equipped Northway rest areas between Guilderland and Champlain are newly built, replaced, expanded or substantially renovated.
Managers of publicly operated railroad and bus stations
Covered stations with indoor waiting areas, public restrooms and more than 500,000 annual passengers would need private milk-expression spaces, with sinks required upon construction or qualifying station work; subway-only and rapid-transit-only stations would be exempt.
Headline styles
Nursing Rooms in Transit Hubs
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4402
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 4, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, the highway law and the public health law, in relation to establishing the lactation accommodation in public transportation facilities act
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "lactation accommodation in public transportation facilities act".
§ 2. Section 361-c of the public authorities law, as added by chapter 876 of the laws of 1976, is amended to read as follows:
§ 361-c. [Tourist information] Service facilities. 1. The authority shall provide tourist information services at all service areas where food is offered for sale, provided that: the department of commerce and or local and regional tourist promotion agencies shall provide the authority with ample supplies of such literature and brochures necessary for distribution to the traveling public.
2. When there is construction of a new service area, or the replacement, expansion, or substantial renovation of an existing service area, the authority shall provide a private room for nursing mothers at all service areas where food is offered for sale. A private room for nursing mothers must meet the following conditions:
(a) includes, at a minimum, a chair and an electrical outlet; and
(b) is located outside the confinement of a public restroom.
§ 3. Section 20 of the highway law is amended by adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows:
5. When there is construction of a new roadside rest area, or the replacement, expansion, or substantial renovation of an existing roadside rest area which has a restroom along New York interstate eightyseven between exit one in the town of Guilderland and exit forty-three in the town of Champlain, commonly known as state route eighty-seven or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03585-02-9
A. 4402 2
the northway, the commissioner shall provide for a private room or area for nursing mothers. For purposes of this section, a private room for nursing mothers shall: (a) include, at a minimum, a chair and an electrical outlet; and (b) be located outside the confinement of a public restroom.
§ 4. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2505-b to read as follows:
§ 2505-b. Private place for nursing mothers. 1. On or before January first, two thousand eighteen, the manager of a railroad station or bus station, consisting of an indoor waiting area with public restrooms, operated by a city, county, city and county, state, or public benefit corporation, that conducts commercial operations and that has more than five hundred thousand passengers a year, shall provide a room or other location for members of the public to express breast milk in private that meets both of the following conditions:
(a) includes, at a minimum, a chair and an electrical outlet; and
(b) is located outside of the confines of a public restroom.
2. Upon construction of a new station that has indoor waiting areas with public restrooms or the replacement, expansion, or renovation of an existing station, a railroad or bus station shall provide a sink in any room or other location designated to comply with the provisions of this section.
3. As used in this section, "renovation of an existing station" means the repurposing of more than twenty-five percent of the space in the station.
4. Nothing in this section shall apply to railroad stations operated for the sole purpose of a subway station or rapid transit railroad station.
§ 5. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
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