INDIANAPOLIS — During his State of the State address on Tuesday, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb discussed his plan to support legislation to ensure women have healthy pregnancies and babies.
Holcomb announced his support for creating a pregnancy accommodation law. In December, RTV6 reported on the state's lack of protection for pregnant employees contributing to our state's high infant and maternal mortality rates.
"We are pursuing legislation that 27 other states have already adopted that will require our employers to provide reasonable accommodation for their pregnant employees," Holcomb said.
PREVIOUS | Work conditions in Indiana putting pregnancies at risk | How one lawmaker is trying to improve Indiana's struggling infant mortality rate | Indianapolis hospital specially trains nurses to combat Indiana's growing infant mortality rate | Working Families: Proposal would help pay for child and dependent care in Indiana
Groups like Indy Chamber and Indiana Institute for Working Families are jumping on board in support.
"Our biggest point is about clarity, lessening litigation and then making sure that we do everything we can to encourage workforce participation," Tim Brown, with Indy Chamber, said.
Erin Macey, with Indiana Institute for Working Families, thinks RTV6's coverage helped push the issue forward.
"It has brought greater awareness to the awareness between those simple workplace accommodations and maternal and infant health," Macey said.
Two bills have been filed in both the house and the senate to create this law.
