This bill establishes a private cause of action for discrimination based on hairstyles associated with a person's ethnicity, effectively allowing individuals to initiate civil lawsuits if they experience such discrimination. The bill amends RSA 193:38, clarifying that discrimination in public schools based on race includes hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locs, tight coils or curls, cornrows, Bantu knots, Afros, twists, and headwraps. It also introduces a new section, RSA 275:37-e, which prohibits discrimination in employment based on protective hairstyles, granting individuals the right to a private cause of action and exempting these cases from the jurisdiction of the human rights commission. However, this section does not apply to those employed by the department of corrections.

Additionally, the bill amends RSA 354-A by adding a new section, 354-A:18-a, which exempts private causes of action under RSA 275:37-d from the jurisdiction of the human rights commission. The act was approved on July 03, 2024, and will take effect on September 01, 2024. The bill's passage signifies a legislative move to protect individuals from discrimination based on ethnic hairstyles in both educational and employment settings.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 193:38
Version adopted by both bodies: 193:38
CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION: 193:38