Oregon House moves to ban discrimination based on hair style

Also would require that businesses accept cash, coins

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon House approved legislation Wednesday that supporters say will help make our state more inclusive to every Oregonian, in two distinct ways. 

House Bill 4107 prohibits hair discrimination based on texture and style, while also requiring that businesses accept all U.S. cash and coins and cannot be “card only,” with some exceptions.

Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Happy Valley) was the legislation’s chief sponsor and co-carried the bill to passage on the floor with Rep. Ron Noble (R-McMinnville).

“It is critical that everyone can go to work, school or into public spaces without the fear of being discriminated against because of their hair style,” Bynum said. “When you tell African Americans that their natural hair, and the way that they style it, is just not a ‘match’ for school, sports, or the workplace, it is racial discrimination, pure and simple.”

Oregon is among 20 states considering the Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act to prohibit discrimination based on hair style and texture, which California first enacted in 2019, followed by New York and New Jersey.

The bill also addresses cash discrimination -- refusing to accept cash at places like stores and restaurants.

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, there are more than 24 million people in this country who are unbanked or underbanked, meaning they may not have a bank account, a debit card or access to a line of credit. Communities of color are more than five times more likely to be unbanked.

“This bill ensures that people paying with cash have the same access to public accommodations as people paying with credit or debit cards,” said Rep. Carla Piluso (D-Gresham), a chief sponsor of the legislation.

“Oregonians should be able to go to the grocery store, buy clothes for their children, and dine at a restaurant without the fear they will be turned away simply because they are unbanked or underbanked. This is an emerging issue with new technology, and this policy will help provide clarity to businesses while still keeping our economy inclusive to all.”

Rep. Akasha Lawrence Spence (D-Portland), another chief sponsor of the legislation, spoke on the floor about how this legislation will provide needed clarity to businesses and provide certainty to individuals. 

“This legislation helps us to dismantle systems that perpetuate disparities by providing equal access to our unbanked community members and equal opportunity to our community members whose physical characteristics and hair styles are natural to their racial and cultural identity,” Lawrence Spence said. “House Bill 4107 would ensure that this type of discrimination, which attempts to limit the opportunities and potential of some of our nations protected class, is no longer welcome in our state.”

In addition to Bynum, Rep. Lawrence Spence and Rep. Piluso, chief sponsors included Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon (D-Woodburn), Sen. Lew Frederick (D-Portland), and Sen. James Manning Jr. (D-Eugene). A bipartisan group of 39 representatives and senators signed on as sponsors.

The bill, which passed 45 to 12, advances to the Senate for consideration.