| 3 | 2 | | *CRH013* 03-27-2023 11:23:06 CRH013 |
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| 4 | 3 | | |
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| 5 | 4 | | State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H3/15/23 H3/27/23 1 |
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| 6 | 5 | | 94th General Assembly A Bill 2 |
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| 7 | 6 | | Regular Session, 2023 HOUSE BILL 1576 3 |
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| 8 | 7 | | 4 |
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| 9 | 8 | | By: Representative Scott 5 |
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| 10 | 9 | | By: Senator B. Davis 6 |
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| 11 | 10 | | 7 |
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| 12 | 11 | | For An Act To Be Entitled 8 |
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| 13 | 12 | | AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE CREATING A RESPE CTFUL AND 9 |
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| 14 | 13 | | OPEN WORLD FOR NATUR AL HAIR (CROWN) ACT; TO PROHIBIT 10 |
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| 15 | 14 | | DISCRIMINATION BASED UPON NATURAL, PROTEC TIVE, OR 11 |
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| 16 | 15 | | CULTURAL HAIRSTYLE I N PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND IN STATE-12 |
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| 17 | 16 | | SUPPORTED TWO-YEAR OR FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS OF 13 |
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| 18 | 17 | | HIGHER EDUCATION; TO ADD DEFINITIONS TO T HE ARKANSAS 14 |
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| 19 | 18 | | CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1993; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 15 |
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| 20 | 19 | | 16 |
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| 21 | 20 | | 17 |
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| 22 | 21 | | Subtitle 18 |
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| 23 | 22 | | TO ESTABLISH THE CREATING A RESPECTFUL 19 |
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| 24 | 23 | | AND OPEN WORLD FOR NATURAL HAIR (CROWN) 20 |
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| 25 | 24 | | ACT. 21 |
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| 26 | 25 | | 22 |
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| 27 | 26 | | 23 |
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| 28 | 27 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 24 |
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| 29 | 28 | | 25 |
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| 30 | 29 | | SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Title. 26 |
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| 31 | 30 | | This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Creating a Respectful 27 |
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| 32 | 31 | | and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act". 28 |
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| 33 | 32 | | 29 |
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| 34 | 33 | | SECTION 2. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 10, is amended to add an 30 |
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| 35 | 34 | | additional section to read as follows: 31 |
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| 36 | 35 | | 6-10-137. Discrimination based on natural, protective, or cultural 32 |
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| 37 | 36 | | hairstyle in public schools prohibited - Definition. 33 |
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| 38 | 37 | | (a) As used in this section, "natural, protect ive, or cultural 34 |
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| 39 | 38 | | hairstyle" includes without limitation afros, dreadlocks, twists, locs, 35 |
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| 40 | 39 | | braids, cornrow braids, Bantu knots, curls, and hair styled to protect hair 36 As Engrossed: H3/15/23 H3/27/23 HB1576 |
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| 41 | 40 | | |
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| 42 | 41 | | 2 03-27-2023 11:23:06 CRH013 |
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| 43 | 42 | | |
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| 44 | 43 | | |
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| 45 | 44 | | texture or for cultural significance. 1 |
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| 46 | 45 | | (b) A school district administrator, board member, teacher, or other 2 |
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| 47 | 46 | | employee shall not discriminate against a student based upon the student's 3 |
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| 48 | 47 | | natural, protective, or cultural hairstyle. 4 |
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| 49 | 48 | | (c) The Division of Youth Services is exempt from this section. 5 |
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| 50 | 49 | | 6 |
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| 51 | 50 | | SECTION 3. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 61, Subc hapter 1, is amended 7 |
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| 52 | 51 | | to add an additional section to read as follows: 8 |
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| 53 | 52 | | 6-61-142. Discrimination based on natural, protective, or cultural 9 |
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| 54 | 53 | | hairstyle in higher education prohibited - Definition. 10 |
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| 55 | 54 | | (a) As used in this section, "natural, protective, or cultur al 11 |
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| 56 | 55 | | hairstyle" includes without limitation afros, dreadlocks, twists, locs, 12 |
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| 57 | 56 | | braids, cornrow braids, Bantu knots, curls, and hair styled to protect hair 13 |
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| 58 | 57 | | texture or for cultural significance. 14 |
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| 59 | 58 | | (b) A state-supported two-year or four-year institution of higher 15 |
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| 60 | 59 | | education shall not discriminate against a student based upon the student's 16 |
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| 61 | 60 | | natural, protective, or cultural hairstyle. 17 |
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| 62 | 61 | | 18 |
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| 63 | 62 | | SECTION 4. Arkansas Code ยง 16 -123-102, concerning definitions within 19 |
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| 64 | 63 | | the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993, is amended to add additi onal 20 |
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| 65 | 64 | | subdivisions to read as follows: 21 |
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| 66 | 65 | | (9) "Because of national origin" includes without limitation on 22 |
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| 67 | 66 | | account of a natural, protective, or cultural hairstyle; 23 |
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| 68 | 67 | | (10) "Because of race" includes without limitation on account of 24 |
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| 69 | 68 | | a natural, protective, or cultural hairstyle; 25 |
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| 70 | 69 | | (11) "Ethnic animosity" includes without limitation on account 26 |
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| 71 | 70 | | of a natural, protective, or cultural hairstyle; 27 |
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| 72 | 71 | | (12) "Natural, protective, or cultural hairstyle" includes 28 |
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| 73 | 72 | | without limitation afros, dreadlocks, twists, locs, braids, cornrow braids, 29 |
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| 74 | 73 | | Bantu knots, curls, and hair styled to protect hair texture or for cultural 30 |
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| 75 | 74 | | significance; and 31 |
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| 76 | 75 | | (13) "Racial animosity" includes without limitation on account 32 |
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| 77 | 76 | | of a natural, protective, or cultural hairstyle. 33 |
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| 78 | 77 | | 34 |
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| 79 | 78 | | /s/Scott 35 |
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