ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is a home rule unit of government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6(a); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to its home rule power, the City of Chicago may exercise any power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs including the power to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals and welfare; and
WHEREAS, in April of 2018, Judith Miller, an attorney and a nursing mother, was summoned to jury duty at the downtown Daley Center courthouse; and
WHEREAS, before her arrival she conducted ample research to ensure that a nursing room would be available for use during her jury duty and a webpage confirmed that a nursing room was available; and
WHEREAS, upon her arrival the clerk advised her that no one on staff knew where the nursing room was located and instead was directed to use the men's bathroom because it was the only private room with an electrical outlet which she needed to operate her breast pump; and
WHEREAS, as a nursing mother, Mrs. Miller must express breast milk every couple of hours because failing to do so lowers her milk supply and may cause physical discomfort and pain making it more difficult to feed her child in the future; and
WHEREAS, as an attorney and a citizen, Mrs. Miller felt it was an honor to serve as a juror but was forced to leave early when she was unable to express her breast milk; and
WHEREAS, Illinois has passed a number of comprehensive measures to encourage breastfeeding and to support working mothers; and
WHEREAS, the Nursing Mothers In the Workplace Act requires employers with more than five (5) employees to provide unpaid breaks for nursing mothers and to make available a private place other than a bathroom, where she can express her milk in private; and
WHEREAS, additionally, the Lactation Accommodation in Airports Act requires lactation rooms to be located outside the confines of a bathroom and that it have, at minimum, a chair a...
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