Illinois Expands Protections for Nursing Mothers in the Workplace

On August 21, 2018, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed House Bill 1595 (“HB 1595”) amending the Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act1 (the “Act”). Effective since 2001, the Act applies to employers with more than five employees and grants reasonable break time each day to an employee needing to express breast milk for her infant child. HB 1595 makes several significant changes to the Act, including to the compensability of break time under the Act, and the scope of an employer’s ability to avoid providing the required break time to its employees.