Breastfeeding Bill in ND Legislature

[KCJB]

In the next couple days, the ND legislature will be voting on a bill that will protect a mother's right to breastfeed in public and also a mother's right to pump at her job on her lunch and coffee breaks. The bill is #2344.

There was a breastfeeding bill that was brought to the legislature in 2005, but it was not passed. If you support this bill, please take the time to contact your senators and legislators. They need to know there is support for this! ND is now one of only two states in the US without protection for a breastfeeding mom.

[mamaprek]

Do you have a link for more information about this? I'm trying to look it up online, but am not having luck. Thanks!

[mamaprek]

Oh, just found it. Here it is for anyone else interested. Bill 2344

[Maggirayne]

Here is some of the info I compiled on how to find the bill, what's happening and who to contact.
~Maggirayne

We want this bill to pass. So call, write or email your senators and representatives.

This is the link for each day what bills the committees are meeting on. I want to sit in on the BF bill committee meeting. So if you check if early in the day, and see it, let me know. The committee the bill is assigned to is Human Services, they meet Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-...ear/index.html

Here is the Breastfeeding bill itself, #SB 2344:

http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-...t/JAGK0100.pdf

Here's the districts on a map for Bismarck/Mandan, page down to see the streets.
http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-...strict/bis.pdf

A list of maps for various districts:
http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-...ict/index.html

A list of the senators and representatives by District number.
http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-...ist-legis.html

For those interested and able to help....
Hello everyone!

I just wanted to let you all know that the bill to protect breastfeeding in ND has been introduced in the Senate. It is Senate Bill #2344 and we really need EVERYONE to write your district senator and representatives to get this passed. It will be up for vote very very soon, so there is no time to waste. Here is a link in case you do not know who represents your district http://www.legis.gov/assembly/ 61-2009/senate/

Get your friends, family, co-workers to send in letters of support via email, phone messages, snail mail or all of the above.
It doesn't have to be long or formal - just a quick note that says I want this passed would be great! This would be a huge step forward for the state of ND and to give us protection under the law.

[Maggirayne]

Hi, I started this thread in Lactavism, which I will be updating, so please follow it if you are interested.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...0#post13216200

I was really excited about this, it didn't have an enforcement provision, but it was pretty good. It got passed today, and I am so ticked.

It passed in the Senate an hour ago. I don't know when it will be up in the House.

They changed it from:

Right to breastfeed - Discriminatory practices.
1. Except for the private home or residence of another, a woman may breastfeed her child in any location, public or private, where the woman and child are otherwise authorized to be, irrespective of whether the nipple of the woman's breast is uncovered during or incidental to the breastfeeding.
2. It is a discriminatory practice to deny or attempt to deny the full and equal
enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and
accommodations of a place of public accommodation to a woman because the
woman is breastfeeding her child.

http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-...t/JAGK0100.pdf

to this:

Right to breastfeed. If the woman acts in a discreet and modest Manner, a woman may breastfeed her child in any location, public or private, where the woman and child are otherwise authorized to be.

http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-...s/JAGK0200.pdf

I will be contacting the authors and the Senate Human Resources Committee who reviewed it to see what can be done. It will come up in the next couple of months in the House.

[zensven42]

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/g...0423778&ref=mf

Some of us ND moms can be found here.

Thanks for your help in this. I am trying to get more people informed about what is going on here with this bill so we can make a large outcry and hopefully get it fixed. Where in ND are you located btw? I am in GF. I will post any info I find out when I make calls. Let me know what else can be done.

[Maggirayne]

I thought you all would be interested in knowing this.

Senate Bill 2344 will be heard by the House Human Services Committee on Tuesday, March 17 at 3:30 in the Fort Union Room at the State Capitol.

I am planning on testifying.

[Maggirayne]

What We Need to Do NOW!

Hello Everyone,

The House Human Services committee is going to be reviewing SB#2344 in the next few days. Before they do, we must contact the committee members asking them to recommend the first version of SB#2344 be passed in it's entirety. Ask everyone you know to contact them also. They will be discussing this bill and deciding what to do today. This committee is who decides. If they do support the first version, then the bill will have to pass the House Committee (probably Human Services) as amended, then pass the House, then go back to Senate, then a conference committee assigned, then pass a House Committee, pass the whole House, and back to the Senate. It will be a very long road. And we need to work together. But this bill is closer than any other to passing--we have more support than in the previous 8 years.

It is important we contact them as they have been hearing from business owners who want the right to force us mothers to leave their businesses.

I intend to attend the meeting where they discuss it. If anyone else is interested, please let me know, and I can call you. I do not know how much forewarning I will have.

I updated my Facebook with a report of the committee hearing. You can read that here.
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=57342829215
It should let you see it even if you don't have a Facebook account.
This is the testimony I gave:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=57341829215
Let me know if they does not work for you.

We must contact the House Human Services committee and ask them asking them to recommend the first version of SB#2344 be passed in it's entirety.

We should email and call each committee member telling them you are in favor of the first version and asking them to recommend the first version of SB#2344 be passed in it's entirety.

Representatives Conrad and Holman were the two who seemed more open (to me) to considering making the motion to support the first version. I have heard that Rep. Potter is supportive of the bill also. So I am going to call them and discuss it with them. I suggest you do the same.

Here is the list of the Human Services Committee members: you can contact them by email or home phone over the weekend. If you call this number, 1-888-NDLEGIS (635-3447) or 701-328-3373 (local) you can leave a message for them.

We should email and call each committee member telling them you are in favor of the first version and asking them to recommend the first version of SB#2344 be passed in it's entirety.

The bill is likely will be considered today at 10:30 am or 2:30pm, so you need to contact the committee today in support of the first version of the bill. If you have questions about it, please call or email me.

Here is the list of committee members.

When you click on the name, it brings up their bio page with their email, address and phone.
That will not work, so here is the webpage for the committees, go partway down the page.
http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-...standing-comm/

Human Services -
(R) Robin Weisz - Chairman
(R) Vonnie Pietsch - Vice Chairman
(D) Tom Conklin
(D) Kari L. Conrad
(R) Chuck Damschen
(R) Robert Frantsvog
(R) Curt Hofstad
(D) Richard G. Holman
(D) Robert Kilichowski
(R) Michael R. Nathe
(R) Todd Porter
(D) Louise Potter
(R) Gerry Uglem

Thank you and have a good day!
~Alyse