Visi Money
TLDR:
- West Virginia Senate referred a bill on discrimination over hairstyles to the Finance Committee.
- The bill, SB 496, known as the CROWN Act, prohibits racial discrimination based on certain hair textures and protective hairstyles.
Members of the West Virginia Senate debated on whether to send SB 496, also known as the CROWN Act, to the Senate Finance Committee. The bill aims to add protections to the state Human Rights Act by prohibiting race-based discrimination for certain hair textures and protective hairstyles associated with specific races. The bill came out of the Senate Judiciary Committee but was referred to the Finance Committee with concerns over potential fiscal implications.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Eric Tarr, raised concerns about potential costs to the state due to the bill, including implications for the West Virginia Board of Risk and Insurance Management and the Human Rights Commission. On the other hand, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, Charles Trump, argued that the bill clarifies existing laws against racial discrimination and can reduce litigated cases.
In a separate development, the Senate passed Senate Bill 562, which expands employment and training requirements for SNAP recipients. There were discussions about the fiscal implications of this bill as well, with a motion to refer it to the Finance Committee, which ultimately failed.
