TO THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly supports H.R. 2694, the “Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).” As reported by the Committee on Education and Labor, this bipartisan compromise would protect the interests of both pregnant employees and their employers. The Chamber will consider including votes on this legislation in our How They Voted scorecard.
Employers currently face great uncertainty about whether, and how, they are required to accommodate pregnant workers. The revised PWFA would clarify an employer’s obligation to accommodate a pregnant employee or applicant with a known limitation that interferes with her ability to perform some essential functions of her position.
The PWFA takes advantage of the widely known and accepted interactive process associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that is used to find reasonable accommodations for employees covered by the ADA, and also carries forward the 15-or-more-employee threshold from the ADA.
The Chamber worked extensively with advocates for this bill to find bipartisan agreement. This important bill is a reminder that through good faith negotiations, legislative solutions to important questions and problems can be achieved. We urge the House to pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
Sincerely,
Jack Howard
