North Texas lawmaker wants to end race-based hair discrimination

AUSTIN, Texas — Lawmakers in Austin are as soon as once more attempting to go regulation to ban race-based hair discrimination in places of work and colleges.

Often known as the CROWN Act, HB 567 would save you insurance policies that discriminate towards hair texture or sure hairstyles, together with braids, locks and twists.

While the invoice won a public hearing in fresh days, it was once left pending within the State Affairs Committee, in contrast to two years in the past, when it was once voted out unanimously.

But the invoice’s writer, State Rep. Rhetta Bowers, mentioned she isn’t anxious.

The Democrat from Garland says she has the overall toughen of the committee and contributors will sooner or later transfer it on.

“I really think we have full support. I think we’ll get a unanimous vote again. But it was just so late. And the committee had been through so many other bills,” Bowers instructed us on Inside Texas Politics. “It was a late night. We were all a little bit tired. But you could tell, testimony felt just as powerful.”

The regulation was once first presented in 2019.

Since then, 20 states have handed the CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair.”

There is one slight distinction in HB 567 from earlier iterations.

The time period dreadlocks has been modified to locks, partly so the Texas invoice suits the federal invoice.

“I do think that it is better to use the term locks because it did have somewhat of, lend itself to something dreadful when you talked about dreadlocks. And I think respectfully, that is the right term to just use locks,” the Democrat defined.

The invoice didn’t go in 2021 as a result of time ran out and that legislative consultation ended ahead of the overall Texas House may vote at the measure.

But Bowers says they’re forward of time table this yr, receiving a public listening to on March 22 as opposed to April 29 in 2021.

“We’re looking good. I’m just doing my due diligence to make sure I respectfully give that phone call or tap them and say hey, I just want to make sure I have your support and your vote for this,” mentioned the lawmaker.