HOUSE  .   .   .   .   .   .   .  No. 4554

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, March 17, 2022.                         

The committee on Ways and Means, to whom was referred the Bill prohibiting discrimination based on natural hairstyles (House, No. 1907), reports recommending that the same ought to pass with an amendment substituting therefor the accompanying bill (House, No. 4554).

For the committee,

AARON MICHLEWITZ.

  FILED ON: 3/17/2022

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4554

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act prohibiting discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

       SECTION 1. Section 7 of chapter 4 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following clause:-

Sixty-second, “Natural or protective hairstyle”, shall mean hair texture, hair type and hairstyles, which shall include, but not be limited to, natural and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, twists, Bantu knots and other formations.

SECTION 2. Section 32 of chapter 22C of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “racial”, in line 12, the following words:- , natural or protective hairstyle.

SECTION 3. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 1C the following section:-

Section 1D. No school district, school committee, public school or nonsectarian school shall adopt or implement a policy or code that impairs or prohibits a natural or protective hairstyle.

The department of elementary and secondary education shall provide written guidance for the administration of this section.

SECTION 4. Section 37O of said chapter 71, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “color”, in line 137, the following words:- , natural or protective hairstyle.

SECTION 5. Section 89 of said chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “color”, in lines 98 and 348, in each instance, the following words:- , natural or protective hairstyle.

SECTION 6. Section 5 of chapter 76 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “color”, in line 11, the following words:- , natural or protective hairstyle.

SECTION 7. Section 12B of said chapter 76, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “color”, in line 195, the following words:- , natural or protective hairstyle.

SECTION 8. Section 3 of chapter 151B of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “color”, in lines 17 and 63, in each instance, the following words:- , natural or protective hairstyle.

SECTION 9. Section 4 of said chapter 151B, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “color”, in lines 3, 186, 201, 209, 220, 229, 263, 291, 298, 308, 358, 366, 376, 477, 487, 492, 499, 633, 643, 821 and 830, in each instance, the following words:- , natural or protective hairstyle.

SECTION 10. Section 39 of chapter 265 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “color”, in line 3, the following words:- , natural or protective hairstyle.

SECTION 11. Section 92A of chapter 272 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “color”, in line 9, the following words:- , natural or protective hairstyle.

SECTION 12. Section 98 of said chapter 272, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “color”, in line 2, the following words:- , natural or protective hairstyle.

SECTION 13. The Massachusetts commission against discrimination shall adopt, promulgate, amend and rescind rules and regulations or formulate policies and make recommendations as necessary to effectuate the purposes of sections 4 to 9, inclusive.