Dear Chair Murray and Ranking Member Burr:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly supports S. 1486, the “Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA),” and we urge the Committee to report the anticipated bipartisan manager’s amendment.
This bipartisan compromise would protect the interests of pregnant employees and their employers. The House approved their version of this legislation 315-101, and the Chamber will recognize cosponsorsof S. 1486 with credit for the Legislative Leadership component of our “How They Voted” scorecard.
Employers currently face great uncertainty about whether, and how, they are required to accommodate pregnant workers. The 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. We applaud your leadership for advancing S. 1486. This bill is a reminder that through good faith negotiations, legislative solutions to important questions and problems can be achieved. We urge the Committee to favorably report the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
Sincerely,
Neil L. Bradley
cc: Members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
