#aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  ,h4   
,r4 #ecji  ,,an ,,act  ,to prohibit     
discrimination based on an individual's 
texture or style of hair4  #a4 ,short   
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,creating a ,respectful and ,open ,world
 for ,natural ,hair ,act of #bjbj or the
 ,,crown ,act of #bjbj4  #b4 ,findings2 
sense of ,congress2 purpose  7a7        
,findings ,congress finds the following3
  7#a7 ,throughout ,united ,states      
history1 society has used 7in           
conjunction with skin color7 hair       
texture and hairstyle to classify       
individuals on the basis of race4  7#b7 
,like one's skin color1 one's hair has  
served as a basis of race and national  
origin discrimination4  7#c7 ,racial and
 national origin discrimination can and 
do occur because of longstanding racial 
and national origin biases and          
stereotypes associated with hair texture
 and style4  7#d7 ,for example1         
routinely1 people of ,african descent   
are deprived of educational and         

employment opportunities because they   
are adorned with natural or protective  
hairstyles in which hair is tightly     
coiled or tightly curled1 or worn in    
locs1 cornrows1 twists1 braids1 ,bantu  
knots1 or ,afros4  7#e7 ,racial and     
national origin discrimination is       
reflected in school and workplace       
policies and practices that bar natural 
or protective hairstyles commonly worn  
by people of ,african descent4  7#f7    
,for example1 as recently as #bjah1 the 
,united ,states ,armed ,forces had      
grooming policies that barred natural or
 protective hairstyles that servicewomen
 of ,african descent commonly wear and  
that described these hairstyles as      
unkempt4  7#g7 ,in #bjah1 the ,united   
,states ,armed ,forces rescinded these  
policies and recognized that this       
description perpetuated derogatory      
racial stereotypes4  7#h7 ,the ,united  
,states ,armed ,forces also recognized  
that prohibitions against natural or    
protective hairstyles that              

,african-,american servicewomen are     
commonly adorned with are racially      
discriminatory and bear no relationship 
to ,african-,american servicewomen's    
occupational qualifications and their   
ability to serve and protect the        
,nation4  7#i7 ,as a type of racial or  
national origin discrimination1         
discrimination on the basis of natural  
or protective hairstyles that people of 
,african descent are commonly adorned   
with violates existing ,federal law1    
including provisions of the ,civil      
,rights ,act of #aifd 7#db ,u4,s4,c4    
#bjjj;e et seq471 section #aigg of the  
,revised ,statutes 7#db ,u4,s4,c4       
#aiha71 and the ,fair ,housing ,act 7#db
 ,u4,s4,c4 #cfja et seq474 ,however1    
some ,federal courts have misinterpreted
 ,federal civil rights law by narrowly  
interpreting the meaning of race or     
national origin1 and thereby permitting1
 for example1 employers to discriminate 
against people of ,african descent who  
wear natural or protective hairstyles   

even though the employment policies     
involved are not related to workers'    
ability to perform their jobs4  7#aj7   
,applying this narrow interpretation of 
race or national origin has resulted in 
a lack of ,federal civil rights         
protection for individuals who are      
discriminated against on the basis of   
characteristics that are commonly       
associated with race and national       
origin4  7#aa7 ,in #bjai and #bjbj1     
,state legislatures and municipal bodies
 throughout the ,united ,states have    
introduced and passed legislation that  
rejects certain ,federal courts'        
restrictive interpretation of race and  
national origin1 and expressly          
classifies race and national origin     
discrimination as inclusive of          
discrimination on the basis of natural  
or protective hairstyles commonly       
associated with race and national       
origin4  7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is 
the sense of ,congress that--  7#a7 the 
,federal ,government should acknowledge 

that individuals who have hair texture  
or wear a hairstyle that is historically
 and contemporarily associated with     
,african ,americans or persons of       
,african descent systematically suffer  
harmful discrimination in schools1      
workplaces1 and other contexts based    
upon longstanding race and national     
origin stereotypes and biases2  7#b7 a  
clear and comprehensive law should      
address the systematic deprivation of   
educational1 employment1 and other      
opportunities on the basis of hair      
texture and hairstyle that are commonly 
associated with race or national origin2
  7#c7 clear1 consistent1 and           
enforceable legal standards must be     
provided to redress the widespread      
incidences of race and national origin  
discrimination based upon hair texture  
and hairstyle in schools1 workplaces1   
housing1 federally funded institutions1 
and other contexts2  7#d7 it is         
necessary to prevent educational1       
employment1 and other decisions1        

practices1 and policies generated by or 
reflecting negative biases and          
stereotypes related to race or national 
origin2  7#e7 the ,federal ,government  
must play a key role in enforcing       
,federal civil rights laws in a way that
 secures equal educational1 employment1 
and other opportunities for all         
individuals regardless of their race or 
national origin2  7#f7 the ,federal     
,government must play a central role in 
enforcing the standards established     
under this ,act on behalf of individuals
 who suffer race or national origin     
discrimination based upon hair texture  
and hairstyle2  7#g7 it is necessary to 
prohibit and provide remedies for the   
harms suffered as a result of race or   
national origin discrimination on the   
basis of hair texture and hairstyle2 and
  7#h7 it is necessary to mandate that  
school1 workplace1 and other applicable 
standards be applied in a               
nondiscriminatory manner and to         
explicitly prohibit the adoption or     

implementation of grooming requirements 
that disproportionately impact people of
 ,african descent4  7c7 ,purpose ,the   
purpose of this ,act is to institute    
definitions of race and national origin 
for ,federal civil rights laws that     
effectuate the comprehensive scope of   
protection ,congress intended to be     
afforded by such laws and ,congress'    
objective to eliminate race and national
 origin discrimination in the ,united   
,states4  #c4 ,federally assisted       
programs  7a7 ,in general ,no individual
 in the ,united ,states shall be        
excluded from participation in1 be      
denied the benefits of1 or be subjected 
to discrimination under1 any program or 
activity receiving ,federal financial   
assistance1 based on the individual's   
hair texture or hairstyle1 if that hair 
texture or that hairstyle is commonly   
associated with a particular race or    
national origin 7including a hairstyle  
in which hair is tightly coiled or      
tightly curled1 locs1 cornrows1 twists1 

braids1 ,bantu knots1 and ,afros74  7b7 
,enforcement ,subsection 7a7 shall be   
enforced in the same manner and by the  
same means1 including with the same     
jurisdiction1 as if such subsection was 
incorporated in title ,,vi of the ,civil
 ,rights ,act of #aifd 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#bjjj;d et seq471 and as if a violation 
of subsection 7a7 was treated as if it  
was a violation of section #fja of such 
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;d74  7c7      
,definitions ,in this section--  7#a7   
the term program or activity has the    
meaning given the term in section #fjf  
of the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd 7#db
 ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;d-#d;a72 and  7#b7 the 
terms race and national origin mean1    
respectively1 race within the meaning of
 the term in section #fja of that ,act  
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;d7 and national    
origin within the meaning of the term in
 that section #fja4  #d4 ,housing       
programs  7a7 ,in general ,no person in 
the ,united ,states shall be subjected  
to a discriminatory housing practice    

based on the person's hair texture or   
hairstyle1 if that hair texture or that 
hairstyle is commonly associated with a 
particular race or national origin      
7including a hairstyle in which hair is 
tightly coiled or tightly curled1 locs1 
cornrows1 twists1 braids1 ,bantu knots1 
and ,afros74  7b7 ,enforcement          
,subsection 7a7 shall be enforced in the
 same manner and by the same means1     
including with the same jurisdiction1 as
 if such subsection was incorporated in 
the ,fair ,housing ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4  
#cfja et seq471 and as if a violation of
 subsection 7a7 was treated as if it was
 a discriminatory housing practice4  7c7
 ,definition ,in this section-- 7#a7 the
 terms discriminatory housing practice  
and person have the meanings given the  
terms in section #hjb of the ,fair      
,housing ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfjb72 and
  7#b7 the terms race and national      
origin mean1 respectively1 race within  
the meaning of the term in section #hjd 
of that ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfjd7 and  

national origin within the meaning of   
the term in that section #hjd4  #e4     
,public accommodations  7a7 ,in general 
,no person in the ,united ,states shall 
be subjected to a practice prohibited   
under section #bja1 #bjb1 or #bjc of the
 ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;a et seq471 based on the
 person's hair texture or hairstyle1 if 
that hair texture or that hairstyle is  
commonly associated with a particular   
race or national origin 7including a    
hairstyle in which hair is tightly      
coiled or tightly curled1 locs1         
cornrows1 twists1 braids1 ,bantu knots1 
and ,afros74  7b7 ,enforcement          
,subsection 7a7 shall be enforced in the
 same manner and by the same means1     
including with the same jurisdiction1 as
 if such subsection was incorporated in 
title ,,ii of the ,civil ,rights ,act of
 #aifd1 and as if a violation of        
subsection 7a7 was treated as if it was 
a violation of section #bja1 #bjb1 or   
#bjc1 as appropriate1 of such ,act4  7c7

 ,definition ,in this section1 the terms
 race and national origin mean1         
respectively1 race within the meaning of
 the term in section #bja of that ,act  
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;e7 and national    
origin within the meaning of the term in
 that section #bja4  #f4 ,employment    
7a7 ,prohibition ,it shall be an        
unlawful employment practice for an     
employer1 employment agency1 labor      
organization1 or joint labor-management 
committee controlling apprenticeship or 
other training or retraining 7including 
on-the-job training programs7 to fail or
 refuse to hire or to discharge any     
individual1 or otherwise to discriminate
 against an individual1 based on the    
individual's hair texture or hairstyle1 
if that hair texture or that hairstyle  
is commonly associated with a particular
 race or national origin 7including a   
hairstyle in which hair is tightly      
coiled or tightly curled1 locs1         
cornrows1 twists1 braids1 ,bantu knots1 
and ,afros74  7b7 ,enforcement          

,subsection 7a7 shall be enforced in the
 same manner and by the same means1     
including with the same jurisdiction1 as
 if such subsection was incorporated in 
title ,,vii of the ,civil ,rights ,act  
of #aifd 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;e et      
seq471 and as if a violation of         
subsection 7a7 was treated as if it was 
a violation of section #gjc or #gjd1 as 
appropriate1 of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4
 #bjjj;e-#b1 #bjjj;e-#c74  7c7          
,definitions ,in this section the terms 
person1 race1 and national origin have  
the meanings given the terms in section 
#gja of the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd
 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;e74  #g4 ,equal   
rights under the law  7a7 ,in general   
,no person in the ,united ,states shall 
be subjected to a practice prohibited   
under section #aigg of the ,revised     
,statutes 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aiha71 based  
on the person's hair texture or         
hairstyle1 if that hair texture or that 
hairstyle is commonly associated with a 
particular race or national origin      

7including a hairstyle in which hair is 
tightly coiled or tightly curled1 locs1 
cornrows1 twists1 braids1 ,bantu knots1 
and ,afros74  7b7 ,enforcement          
,subsection 7a7 shall be enforced in the
 same manner and by the same means1     
including with the same jurisdiction1 as
 if such subsection was incorporated in 
section #aigg of the ,revised ,statutes1
 and as if a violation of subsection 7a7
 was treated as if it was a violation of
 that section #aigg4  #h4 ,rule of      
construction ,nothing in this ,act shall
 be construed to limit definitions of   
race or national origin under the ,civil
 ,rights ,act of #aifd 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#bjjj;a et seq471 the ,fair ,housing    
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfja et seq471 or  
section #aigg of the ,revised ,statutes 
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aiha74  #i4             
,determination of ,budgetary ,effects   
,the budgetary effects of this ,act1 for
 the purpose of complying with the      
,statutory ,pay-,as-,you-,go ,act of    
#bjaj1 shall be determined by reference 

to the latest statement titled          
,budgetary ,effects of ,,paygo          
,legislation for this ,act1 submitted   
for printing in the ,congressional      
,record by the ,chairman of the ,house  
,budget ,committee1 provided that such  
statement has been submitted prior to   
the vote on passage4  ,passed the ,house
 of ,representatives ,september #ba1    
#bjbj4;,clerk4