The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) was signed into law on December 29, 2022. The PWFA, which goes into effect on June 27, 2023, requires employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” to an employee’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an “undue hardship.” The PWFA applies only to accommodations – existing Congressional Accountability Act (CAA) protections already made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. The PWFA applies to all employing offices in the legislative branch, and protects all “covered employees” as defined by the CAA (including applicants), as well as unpaid staff.
Know Your Rights in the Legislative Branch
The OCWR has a new brochure, “Know Your Rights in the Legislative Branch,” that outlines the work of the OCWR and details the administration and enforcement of the CAA in the legislative branch.
The brochure can be downloaded from the OCWR website. Printed copies are available by contacting the OCWR.
TRAINING CORNER
The OCWR will be hosting pop-up training sessions on the CAA and Bystander Intervention. The CAA webinar will explain the role of the OCWR in administering and enforcing the CAA and review the rights and responsibilities of covered legislative branch employees under the CAA. The Bystander Intervention training will discuss “The Bystander Effect” and will promote intervention strategies for the workplace. To register, click on the links below.
The Congressional Accountability Act – June 27, 2023
Bystander Intervention – June 14, 2023
