TAMPA, Florida — A bill requiring lactation spaces for nursing mothers in courthouses across Florida is making its way through committees in the House and Senate.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved SB 144, filed by Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, by an 11-0 vote on Feb. 7. It is now in the Fiscal Policy Committee.
A companion bill filed by Rep. Ashley Gantt, D-Miami, HB 87, is making its way through the House with the latest update being from Tuesday with it now in the Judiciary Committee.
If made into law, every courthouse would need a lactation space shielded from public view and available to courthouse employees and the public.
It also requires the spaces to be hygienic, clean, sanitary and "conducive to maintaining and preventing disease."
It would go into effect July 1, 2023, with spaces being provided by Jan. 1, 2024.
Berman told The Florida Bar the measure would "make courthouses more welcoming for working mothers."
"By providing a clean, safe space, they can remove a barrier for women returning to the workforce," she said.
On the other hand, courthouses that would require new construction would be exempted along with locations that couldn't provide a private space.
