DENVER -- Gov. Bill Owens has signed a law making it legal for a mother to breast-feed an infant in public in Colorado.

The new law, which took effect immediately upon Owens' signature Friday, specifies that "a mother may breast-feed in any place she has a right to be."

The measure co-sponsored by Sen. Deanna Hanna, D-Lakewood, Rep. Pam Rhodes, R-Thornton, also says breast-feeding "is a basic and important act of nurturing that should be encouraged in the interests of maternal and infant health."