Connecticut employers should be aware of an important change to the state’s workplace lactation accommodation law effective October 1, 2026. Previously, the law required employers to allow employees to express milk or breastfeed during existing meal or break periods. Now, the law is changing to require employers to provide reasonable additional break periods for that purpose. The law does not state that the breaks must be paid. However, when an employee uses an existing paid break period or is not fully relieved from work during these periods, she should be paid as usual.
Employers should take this opportunity to review handbook language, break practices, and supervisor training. Employers should also remember that Connecticut law already requires employers to make reasonable efforts to provide a room or other location, close to the employee’s work area and other than a toilet stall, where the employee can express milk in private. Unless doing so would create an undue hardship, that space must be free from intrusion and shielded from the public, include or be near a refrigerator or employee-provided portable cold storage device for storing breast milk, and include access to an electrical outlet.
When an employee raises issues concerning pregnancy or lactation accommodation or if you have questions about how to implement best practices based on this changing law, it is best to discuss plans with an experienced attorney. Our team focuses exclusively on labor and employment issues and can provide assistance.
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