New Jersey Pregnancy Bill Sent to Governor Christie

In the November 2013 issue of the New Jersey eAuthority, we reported on the Senate’s passage of a bill (S2995) expanding employment protections for pregnant women by (1) amending the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination to add pregnancy (including childbirth recovery) to the list of protected classifications, (2) prohibiting less favorable treatment of women based upon pregnancy, and (3) requiring employers to make reasonable accommodations for an employee’s pregnancy-related needs when requested by the employee upon advice of her doctor (such as bathroom breaks, periodic rest, job restructuring, assistance with manual labor, etc., but not mandating additional leave). On January 6, 2014, the bill passed in the Assembly (77-1-0) and was sent to Governor Chris Christie.