Congress Adds Additional Protections For Pregnant Workers

In the recent $1.7 trillion Omnibus Spending Bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden, two measures were included aimed at providing additional workplace protections for pregnant employees.

The first measure is the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (the "PWFA") which applies to employers with 15 or more employees. The PWFA extends the framework of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to employees with known limitations related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions regardless of whether the condition meets the definition of a disability specified in the ADA (a "qualified employee").

Thus, employers receiving accommodation requests from qualified employees must engage in the interactive process and offer a reasonable accommodation if it does not result in an undue hardship to the employer. The PWFA also makes it an unlawful employment practice to deny employment opportunities to qualified