House File 2110 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2110 BY ANDERSON , GAINES , THEDE , ABDUL-SAMAD , WESSEL-KROESCHELL , JAMES , B. MEYER , MASCHER , KURTH , OLDSON , SMITH , and CAHILL A BILL FOR An Act prohibiting discrimination based on an individual’s 1 texture or style of hair. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5905HH (3) 89 cm/jh

H.F. 2110 Section 1. Section 8A.416, Code 2022, is amended by adding 1 the following new subsection: 2 NEW SUBSECTION . 8. For purposes of this section, “race” 3 means the same as defined in section 216.2. 4 Sec. 2. Section 15A.1, subsection 1, paragraph b, Code 2022, 5 is amended to read as follows: 6 b. For purposes of this chapter , “economic development” : 7 (1) “Economic development” means private or joint public 8 and private investment involving the creation of new jobs and 9 income or the retention of existing jobs and income that would 10 otherwise be lost. 11 (2) “Race” means the same as defined in section 216.2. 12 Sec. 3. Section 19B.1, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 13 following new subsection: 14 NEW SUBSECTION . 1A. “Race” means the same as defined in 15 section 216.2. 16 Sec. 4. Section 216.2, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 17 following new subsections: 18 NEW SUBSECTION . 12A. “Natural or protective hairstyle” 19 includes but is not limited to braids, locs, twists, tight 20 coils or curls, cornrows, bantu knots, afros, and headwraps. 21 NEW SUBSECTION . 13A. “Race” is a grouping of humans based 22 upon physical traits commonly or historically associated with a 23 group including but not limited to skin color, hair texture, 24 hair type, or a natural or protective hairstyle. 25 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION . 216.23 Equal rights under the law. 26 1. A person in the state of Iowa shall not be excluded from 27 participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected 28 to discrimination under, any program or activity receiving 29 state financial assistance, based on the person’s natural 30 or protective hairstyle, race, creed, color, sex, sexual 31 orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, 32 ancestry, or disability. 33 2. A person in the state of Iowa shall not be subjected to 34 a practice prohibited under 42 U.S.C. §1981(c), based on the 35 -1- LSB 5905HH (3) 89 cm/jh 1/ 4

H.F. 2110 person’s natural or protective hairstyle, race, creed, color, 1 sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, 2 religion, ancestry, or disability. 3 Sec. 6. Section 256.2, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 4 following new subsection: 5 NEW SUBSECTION . 3A. “Race” means the same as defined in 6 section 216.2. 7 Sec. 7. Section 256B.2, subsection 1, Code 2022, is amended 8 by adding the following new paragraph: 9 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0b. “Race” means the same as defined in 10 section 216.2. 11 Sec. 8. Section 256E.2, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 12 following new subsection: 13 NEW SUBSECTION . 6A. “Race” means the same as defined in 14 section 216.2. 15 Sec. 9. Section 256F.2, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 16 following new subsection: 17 NEW SUBSECTION . 6A. “Race” means the same as defined in 18 section 216.2. 19 Sec. 10. Section 261A.4, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 20 following new subsection: 21 NEW SUBSECTION . 17. “Race” means the same as defined in 22 section 216.2. 23 Sec. 11. Section 279.58, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 24 following new subsection: 25 NEW SUBSECTION . 3. a. The board of directors of a school 26 district shall not adopt, for the district or for an individual 27 school within the district, a dress code policy that prohibits 28 students from wearing natural or protective hairstyles that are 29 commonly or historically associated with a race. 30 b. For purposes of this subsection, “race” means the same as 31 defined in section 216.2. 32 Sec. 12. Section 280.2, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 33 following new subsection: 34 NEW SUBSECTION . 3. “Race” means the same as defined in 35 -2- LSB 5905HH (3) 89 cm/jh 2/ 4

H.F. 2110 section 216.2. 1 Sec. 13. Section 341A.1, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 2 following new subsection: 3 NEW SUBSECTION . 4. “Race” means the same as defined in 4 section 216.2. 5 Sec. 14. Section 400.17, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 6 following new subsection: 7 NEW SUBSECTION . 5. For the purposes of this section, “race” 8 means the same as defined in section 216.2. 9 Sec. 15. Section 602.1401, Code 2022, is amended by adding 10 the following new subsection: 11 NEW SUBSECTION . 7. For the purposes of this section, “race” 12 means the same as defined in section 216.2. 13 Sec. 16. Section 729.4, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 14 following new subsection: 15 NEW SUBSECTION . 4. For the purposes of this section, “race” 16 means the same as defined in section 216.2. 17 EXPLANATION 18 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 19 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 20 This bill provides an additional prohibition against 21 discrimination in schools, workplaces, housing, places of 22 public accommodations, and other contexts on the basis of hair 23 texture, hair type, and natural or protective hairstyles that 24 are historically and commonly associated with race. 25 The following current Code sections prohibit discrimination 26 based on race: Code section 8A.416 (state employment), Code 27 section 15A.1 (state disbursement of grant funds), Code section 28 19B.1 (state employment and contracts), Code chapter 216 (civil 29 rights commission), Code chapter 256 (department of education), 30 Code chapter 256B (area education agencies), Code chapter 256E 31 (charter schools), Code chapter 256F (charter schools and 32 innovation zone schools), Code chapter 261A (higher education 33 loan authority), Code section 279.58 (school directors), Code 34 chapter 280 (uniform school requirements), Code section 341A.1 35 -3- LSB 5905HH (3) 89 cm/jh 3/ 4

H.F. 2110 (civil service for deputy county sheriffs), Code section 1 400.17 (employees under civil service), Code section 602.1401 2 (judicial personnel), and Code section 729.4 (fair employment 3 practices). The bill further provides that an individual 4 cannot be discriminated against for state assistance programs 5 and that no person in Iowa shall be subjected to a practice 6 prohibited under 42 U.S.C. §1981(c), based upon the person’s 7 natural or protective hairstyle, race, creed, color, sex, 8 sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, 9 ancestry, or disability. 10 The bill provides that discrimination on the basis of 11 race includes discrimination on the basis of natural or 12 protective hairstyles. The bill defines “natural or protective 13 hairstyles” to include but is not limited to braids, locs, 14 twists, tight coils or curls, cornrows, bantu knots, afros, and 15 headwraps. 16 -4- LSB 5905HH (3) 89 cm/jh 4/ 4