Bill Text: NY A05361 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Relates to access to lactation rooms in public buildings; requires signage for lactation rooms in public buildings.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-06-02 - ordered to third reading rules cal.338 [A05361 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A05361-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         5361--B

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 13, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  FORREST,  LEVENBERG,  OTIS  -- read once and
          referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations -- recommitted to
          the Committee on Governmental Operations in accordance  with  Assembly
          Rule  3,  sec.  2  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
          reprinted as amended  and  recommitted  to  said  committee  --  again
          reported  from  said  committee  with amendments, ordered reprinted as
          amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the public buildings law, in relation to signage for and
          access to lactation rooms in public buildings

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Section  144  of  the  public  buildings law, as added by
     2  section 1 of part JJ of chapter 58 of the laws of 2018,  is  amended  to
     3  read as follows:
     4    § 144. Lactation room in public buildings. 1. As used in this section:
     5    (a)  "covered  public  building"  means a public building owned by the
     6  state of New York, under the supervision and control of the commissioner
     7  of general services, that is determined by said commissioner to be  open
     8  to the public; and
     9    (b)  "lactation  room"  means a hygienic place, other than a bathroom,
    10  that:
    11    (1) is shielded from view;
    12    (2) is free from intrusion;
    13    (3) is well lit;
    14    (4) contains a chair,  a  working  surface,  nearby  access  to  clean
    15  running  water,  and,  if the public building is otherwise supplied with
    16  electricity, an electrical outlet; and
    17    [(4)] (5) is intended to be used for the primary  purpose  of  breast-
    18  feeding or expressing breast milk.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07344-04-6
        A. 5361--B                          2

     1    2.  A  covered  public building shall contain a lactation room that is
     2  made available for use by a  member  of  the  public  to  breastfeed  or
     3  express breast milk.
     4    3. A covered public building shall be excluded from the requirement of
     5  subdivision two of this section if:
     6    (a)  the public building does not have a room that could be repurposed
     7  as a lactation room or a space that could be made private, at a  reason-
     8  able cost; or
     9    (b)  new  construction would be required to create a lactation room in
    10  the public building and the cost of such construction is unfeasible.
    11    4. A covered public building containing a lactation room that is  made
    12  available  for  use  by  a member of the public to breastfeed or express
    13  breast milk shall have a sign notifying the public of  the  availability
    14  of such lactation room. Such sign shall be posted publicly in a conspic-
    15  uous  location,  either  directly outside the entrance of such lactation
    16  room or within the reception area of such public building.
    17    5. The office of general services shall compile a directory of  public
    18  buildings  which contain lactation rooms that are made available for use
    19  by members of the public to breastfeed  or  express  breast  milk.  Such
    20  directory  shall be posted on the office of general service's website by
    21  no later than six months after the effective date of the chapter of  the
    22  laws  of  two thousand twenty-six that amended this section and shall be
    23  periodically updated every six months thereafter. Such  directory  shall
    24  indicate  if  a  public  building  listed  on  such  directory has extra
    25  requirements to access a lactation room pursuant  to  paragraph  (b)  of
    26  subdivision six of this section and list any such extra requirements.
    27    6.  (a)  Nothing  in  this  section shall be construed to authorize an
    28  individual to enter a public building that the individual is not  other-
    29  wise authorized to enter.
    30    (b)  If  a  lactation room is in a public building, or a location in a
    31  public building, that a member of the  public  would  not  otherwise  be
    32  authorized  to enter, the operating agency of such building shall estab-
    33  lish clear rules and requirements to allow a member  of  the  public  to
    34  access  such lactation room to breastfeed or express breast milk, unless
    35  such access shall unduly imperil public safety.
    36    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.