Small Airport Mothers' Rooms Act of 2019
Floor Speech
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Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3362) to amend title 49, United State Code, to require small hub airports to construct areas for nursing mothers, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3362
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Small Airport Mothers' Rooms Act of 2019''. SEC. 2. MOTHERS' ROOMS.
Section 47107(w) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1) by striking ``In fiscal year 2021'' and all that follows through ``the Secretary of Transportation'' and inserting ``The Secretary of Transportation'';
(2) in paragraph (1)(B) by striking ``one men's and one women's'' and inserting ``at least one men's and at least one women's'';
(3) by striking paragraph (2)(A) and inserting the following:
``(A) Airport size.--The requirements in paragraph (1) shall only apply to applications submitted by the airport sponsor of--
``(i) a medium or large hub airport in fiscal year 2021 and each fiscal year thereafter; and
``(ii) a small hub airport in fiscal year 2023 and each fiscal year thereafter, but only if such airport has been categorized as a small or medium hub airport for the 3 consecutive fiscal years prior to the fiscal year in which the application is submitted.'';
(4) in paragraph (2)(B) by striking ``the date of enactment of this Act complies with the requirement in paragraph (1)'' and inserting ``October 5, 2018, complies with the requirement in paragraph (1)(A)''; and
(5) in paragraph (2)(C) by striking ``paragraph (1)'' and inserting ``paragraph (1)(A)''.
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Mrs. FLETCHER. 3362, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill introduced by the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Miller).
Few things are more sacred than the ability of parents to care for their infant children. However, mothers often face challenges, and potentially public stigma, when attempting to breastfeed, nurse, or change their children while traveling. In fact, a study of 100 airports found that, while 62 percent reported being breastfeeding friendly, only 8 percent met the minimum requirements for a breastfeeding mother: an electrical outlet, a table, and a chair.
The absence of sufficient designated sanitary spaces during travel can cause unnecessary stress, wasted time, and even potential health issues for mothers who are not able to pump.
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 included a requirement that medium and large hub airports maintain nursing rooms and baby changing tables for the convenience of nursing mothers and parents traveling with infants. While that was a step in the right direction, there are still a significant number of commercial service airports--72, to be exact--that the law did not cover.
This bill enhances that mandate by requiring small hub airports to also maintain nursing rooms and baby changing tables in their passenger terminal buildings. Requiring small hub airports to provide private, clean, accessible, and equipped areas for parents to nurse their children will help remove some of the barriers parents face while traveling and provide critical support to families when they need it.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
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Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, I, too, thank my colleague, Mrs. Miller, for introducing this bill. And I thank Chairman DeFazio and the subcommittee chairman, Mr. Larsen, for moving this bill through the process. It is important to families across America.
And, once again, we are seeing bipartisan, commonsense legislation that is important to traveling families. For that reason, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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