I was out of town for the past three weeks and now that I am back home, I want to update everyone on the status of the breastfeeding bill before the Wisconsin State Legislature.
I spoke today with Fred Ludwig in Assemblywoman Sandy Pasch’s office, and Sarah Briganti in Senator Fred Risser’s office. The status of the breastfeeding bill is that it received a unanimous vote of approval in the Senate Public Health Committee hearing on January 27. (This was the Assembly version of the bill, which was much the preferred version.) It now must be voted upon again by the full Senate. That could happen some time on or after February 16. (The Senate meets on February 16, 23, 25 and March 2 and 4). It has already been approved by the State Assembly.
The action needed now is for people who want to see this bill passed to contact their State Senators, especially those in the more outlying areas of the state, and urge them to support this version of the bill. It is Assembly Bill 57.
The current wording is:
“A mother may breast-feed her child in any public or private location where the mother and child are otherwise authorized to be. In such a location, no person may prohibit a mother from breast-feeding her child, or direct a mother to move to another location to breast-feed her child, or direct a mother to cover her child or breast while breast-feeding, or otherwise restrict a mother from breast-feeding.”
If you do not know who your legislators are, you can go to http://www.legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/waml/waml.aspx to find out. Give your state senator’s office a phone call or send an email or a letter before February 16 to let them know you are interested in this bill and would like to see them vote for it in this current version. If you are in Sandy Pasch’s 22nd Assembly District or Fred Risser’s 26th Senate District, please thank them for all the work they have done to craft this bill.
It would be nice to see this bill finally reach completion after so much time and effort. Please do your part to make it happen!
Anne Altshuler
