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New Laws for 2015: Protecting Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2014 (Washington D.C.)


On March 3, the Washington D.C. Protecting Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2014 (a law that was passed last year) became effective.  Washington D.C. joins a growing group of other cities & states that have passed pregnancy discrimination related laws, including Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York City, among others.  In essence, this particular law provides increased protections for pregnant workers and requires that employers provide reasonable workplace accommodations for workers whose ability to perform job functions are limited by pregnancy, childbirth, a related medical condition, or breastfeeding.  

One of the more interesting aspects of this law is the provision that employers can require medical certification from an employee's health care provider in regard to the advisability of a request accommodation...provided that the request is no more demanding than certification required by the employer for other temporary disabilities. 

It is important to note that, unlike other pregnancy discrimination related laws, this law applies to all D.C. employers.


Additional information can be found here:  http://lims.dccouncil.us/_layouts/15/uploader/Download.aspx?legislationid=31545&filename=B20-0769-SignedAct.pdf

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