Tell NH lawmakers: Sick babies don’t give 15 days notice

Last year, moms, parents and advocates across New Hampshire fought hard to pass MOMnibus 2.0 so we could start to address our maternal health crisis and give families a little breathing room in the first year of a baby’s life.

One small but mighty part of MOMnibus 2.0 created a narrow, common sense workplace protection. If you work for an employer with 20 or more employees, you can take up to 25 hours of unpaid time in your baby’s first year to go to your own postpartum appointments or bring your baby to the doctor without risking your job.

HB 1250 would gut that protection before families even get to use it.

It would require 15 days' notice to use this time, weaken job protections so employers can say a job is “no longer available” and make it easier for them to block workers from using paid time off for these appointments. Babies do not give 15 days' notice when they get sick. No parent should have to choose between their job and taking themselves or their baby to the doctor.

Email the House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee today and urge them to vote HB 1250 Inexpedient to Legislate before they vote on January 27.

Dear Representative,

As a New Hampshire resident and a MomsRising member, I am writing to ask you to vote HB 1250 Inexpedient to Legislate and keep our new postpartum and pediatric leave protections intact.

Last year, through MOMnibus 2.0, the Legislature created a narrow, common sense protection so new parents could attend postpartum appointments and bring their babies to the doctor in the first year of life without risking their jobs. For employers with 20 or more employees, workers can take up to 25 hours of unpaid time for these medically important visits. The leave is unpaid, employers can request documentation and workers remain at will.

HB 1250 would gut that protection before families even get to use it by:

Requiring parents to give at least 15 days' notice, even for sick visits or last minute openings
Weakening job protections so an employer only has to bring someone back if the job is “still available” and if it would not “unduly disrupt operations”
Letting employers point to their own policies to block workers from using paid time off for these appointments

Babies don't give 15 days' notice when they get sick. Parents cannot control when a baby spikes a fever, when the pediatrician has a next day opening or when postpartum complications like mastitis or heavy bleeding appear. A rigid 15 day rule ignores how health care actually works for new moms and babies.

Clear, simple job protection language gives parents the confidence to seek care without fearing they will lose everything. When the law adds loopholes and vague standards, many families, especially those living paycheck to paycheck, will decide it is safer to skip care altogether. If parents are afraid to use the leave, the protection is functionally gone.

New Hampshire prides itself on being a great place to raise a family. No parent should have to choose between their job and taking themselves or their baby to the doctor. Please vote HB 1250 Inexpedient to Legislate and protect the postpartum and pediatric leave provisions you just passed in MOMnibus 2.0.

Sincerely,

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