Ask Atlas · History and policy
What publicly documented federal policy reasons and statutory changes explain the 2022 update to federal workplace pumping protections?
United States — limited federal general information
Published · Reviewed by Ahmad Sulaiman
Short answer
A House committee report on an earlier PUMP Act bill said that the 2010 workplace-pumping rule was placed in section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), leaving out some employees exempt from section 7, and that gaps limited access to protections and court relief. [1]
The final PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, enacted December 29, 2022, replaced former FLSA section 7(r) with section 18D and tied violations of section 18D to FLSA provisions concerning prohibited acts and employee actions. Those changes explain the documented federal policy goal of extending the federal baseline and clarifying its enforcement connection. [1] [2]
This is a limited federal legislative-history overview. It does not determine what applies to any particular worker or workplace, and state or local rules may provide greater protections.