Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2638) to amend title 49, United States Code, to require small hub airports to construct areas for nursing mothers, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: S. 2638
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 ``Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act''. 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.--
``(i) In general.--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) an applicable small hub airport in fiscal year 2023 and each fiscal year thereafter.
``(ii) Applicable small hub airport defined.--In clause (i)(II), the term `applicable small hub airport' means an airport designated as a small hub airport during--
``(I) the 3-year period consisting of 2020, 2021, and 2022; or
``(II) any consecutive 3-year period beginning after 2020.'';
(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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Mr. CARBAJAL. 2638.
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Mr. CARBAJAL. 2638, the Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act.
Introduced in the Senate by Senator Tammy Duckworth from Illinois, this is a commonsense bill that requires small hub airports to maintain lactation areas for nursing mothers and a baby-changing table in men's and women's restrooms.
As a result of this legislation, small hub airports will begin to come in line with the medium and large hub airports, which were charged with meeting the same requirements as the result of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.
Similar legislation was introduced in the House by Representative Carol Miller and passed in this Chamber December 2019.
I want to thank both Senator Duckworth and Representative Miller for their leadership on this issue and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of S. 2638.
Mr. Speaker, affording women lactation stations is something that I was very proud to have done, as we are now doing with small airports. We did it for all county facilities in county government when I was a county supervisor.
I am really glad to see this bipartisan bill is moving forward. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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