Texas panel advances bill banning race-based hair discrimination

A Texas Senate panel has advanced a measure that would ban race-based hair discrimination, sending the bill to the full Senate for approval. 

The Senate State Affairs Committee passed the bill, known as the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act, on Tuesday in a 9-1 vote. The legislation passed the state House almost unanimously last month. 

The text of the bill states schools, employers, labor unions and companies would be prohibited from instituting a dress or grooming policy that discriminates against a hair texture or “protective hairstyle” that is associated with race, like braids, locks and twists. It would also apply to housing practices. 

The CROWN Act has passed in 20 states, and localities in another 12 states have passed measures to ban race-based hair discrimination, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. 

The Dallas-based ABC affiliate WFAA reported a Texas state House committee advanced a similar bill during the 2021 legislative session, but it did not proceed to a vote before the full House. 

If the current measure is approved and becomes law, it would be set to take effect Sept. 1. 

A study found in February that two-thirds of Black women have changed their hairstyle for a job interview, and a quarter said they have not advanced to a job interview because of their hair.