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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 27, 2025
Lactation Spaces for Veteran Moms Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that each of its medical centers contains a hygienic lactation space that is not a bathroom and meets other specifications (e.g., must be easy to locate).
People & committees
Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14] · D–IL
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Jul 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-27 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Lactation Spaces for Veteran Moms Act would require every Department of Veterans Affairs medical center to have a private, hygienic space for expressing breast milk. These spaces would serve women veterans and members of the public, accommodate people with disabilities, and could not be bathrooms. Existing restrictions on entering medical centers would still apply. The department would have to meet the requirement within two years after enactment.
This Act may be cited as the Lactation Spaces for Veteran Moms Act.
The Secretary shall ensure that each medical center of the Department contains a lactation space.
the term lactation space means a hygienic place, other than a bathroom, that— (1) is shielded from view; (2) is free from intrusion; (3) is accessible to disabled individuals (including such individuals who use wheelchairs); (4) contains a chair and a working surface; (5) is easy to locate; (6) is clearly identified with signage; and (7) is available for use by women veterans and members of the public to express breast milk.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize an individual to enter a medical center of the Department or portion thereof that the individual is not otherwise authorized to enter.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out section 1720M of title 38, United States Code, as added by this section, not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
The bill would add section 1720M to federal veterans law and make the Secretary of Veterans Affairs responsible for ensuring that each department medical center has a lactation space.
Subchapter II of chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 1720M. Lactation spaces in medical centers of the Department (a) Lactation space required The Secretary shall ensure that each medical center of the Department contains a lactation space.
Each space would have to be hygienic, separate from bathrooms, shielded from view, and free from intrusion. It would also have to be accessible to people with disabilities, including wheelchair users.
the term lactation space means a hygienic place, other than a bathroom, that— (1) is shielded from view; (2) is free from intrusion; (3) is accessible to disabled individuals (including such individuals who use wheelchairs)
Each space would need a chair and a working surface, be easy to find, have clear signs, and be available to women veterans and members of the public for expressing breast milk.
(4) contains a chair and a working surface; (5) is easy to locate; (6) is clearly identified with signage; and (7) is available for use by women veterans and members of the public to express breast milk.
Access to a lactation space would not give anyone permission to enter a medical center or a restricted part of one that they otherwise could not enter.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize an individual to enter a medical center of the Department or portion thereof that the individual is not otherwise authorized to enter.
The Secretary would have to implement the requirement no later than two years after enactment. This is a deadline tied to enactment, rather than a fixed calendar date.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out section 1720M of title 38, United States Code, as added by this section, not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
The supplied action snapshot, updated July 8, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on February 27, 2025, followed by referral to the Subcommittee on Health on March 27, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-07-08T16:36:30Z. 2025-03-27: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. 2025-02-27: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. 2025-02-27: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-27. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; accompanying materials needed to assess formal earmark status are not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. The stated users and accessibility requirements describe ordinary program coverage. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jul 8, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI