Compliance Stuff

  New Hampshire Discrimination New Hampshire became the 26th U.S. state to enact a version of the model CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.” The new law, which went into effect on September 1, 2024, states no person shall be subjected to discrimination in employment because he or she wears a protective hairstyle, which means hairstyles or hair type, including braids, locs, tight coils or curls, corn rows, Bantu knots, Afros, twists, and head wraps. An exception was made for those employed by the Department of Corrections (Ch. 117 (H.B. 1169), L. 2024, effective Sept. 1, 2024). In addition, new law prohibits an employer from discharging or any other disciplinary action against any employee for failing to report to work where the failure is due to the employee's responding, in his or her capacity as a volunteer member of a fire department or ambulance department, to an emergency they witness or come upon while en route to a p...

Colorado Antidiscrimination Act New law adds "hair length" to the states existing CROWN Ac t definition of "race" for purposes of the state's antidiscrimination laws (HB 1451, Reg. Sess. (Colo. 2024)). Colorado Workers' Compensation Law Law relating to workers' disability benefits was amended to allow claimants to refuse offers of modified employment under specific conditions, such as when the modified employment would require travel exceeding 50 miles or when a treating physician has restricted the claimant from driving.   It also increases the aggregate limits on temporary and permanent injury benefits and mandates that the Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation adjust these limits annually.   Further, the legislation requires workers' compensation insurers to pay benefits via direct deposit if requested by the claimant (HB 1220 (Colo. 2024), effective Aug. 7, 2024, and January 1, 2025). The bill was signed into law by the Governor ...

 Effective July 1, 2024, Vermont is the most recent state to pass its own version of the CROWN Act. CROWN Acts expand the definition of race to include hair protections.   Under Vermont's Fair Employment Practice Act (FEPA), it is unlawful for "any employer" employment agency, or labor organization to harass or discriminate against any individual because of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, place of birth, crime victim status, or age or against a qualified individual with a disability." House Bill 363 (HB363) was approved by Vermont Governor Phil Scott on April 24, 2024.  HB363 adds a clarifying definition of race to FEPA, which includes the following: “Race” includes traits associated with or perceived to be associated with race, including hair type, hair texture, hairstyles, and protective hairstyles. As used in this subdivision, the term “protective hairstyles” includes hairstyles such as individual braids,...