What's New in State Laws: New Hampshire
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...