S.B. No. 301 - Pregnancy Reasonable Accommodation Act

• Enacts Section 4113.12 of Ohio Revised Code to require employers to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant or breastfeeding employees upon request unless doing so would impose undue hardship on business operations.

• Defines "reasonable accommodations" to include more frequent or longer breaks, modified equipment or uniforms, light duty, modified schedules, job restructuring, temporary transfer to less strenuous positions, break time and private space to express breast milk, and time off to recover from childbirth.

• Prohibits employers from denying employment opportunities, requiring unwanted accommodations, requiring leave when other accommodations are possible, or taking adverse employment action against employees for requesting or using pregnancy-related accommodations.

• Places burden of proof on employers to demonstrate that a requested accommodation would cause undue hardship, and establishes that making similar accommodations for other employees creates a rebuttable presumption that no undue hardship exists.

• Allows employees to bring civil actions against employers for violations and preserves all other existing protections under law related to pregnancy or sex discrimination.