The Minnesota Legislature, currently in regular session until mid- to late May 2022, has drafted various bills that may impact Minnesota employers and employees. Notably, some of the major bills under consideration (or already enacted) include a hair antidiscrimination bill, a measure extending the COVID-19 presumption of workers’ compensation eligibility for certain healthcare workers, and a proposal to restrict noncompete agreements. The below summary is not meant to be an exhaustive review of current legislation. As new and relevant bills arise that may impact Minnesota employers, we will provide updates.
On February 28, 2022, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed House File (HF) 1315, which would add a definition of race to the Minnesota Human Rights Act to state: “‘Race’ is inclusive of traits associated with race, including but not limited to hair texture and hair styles such as braids, locks, and twists.” In other words, HF 1315 would ban discrimination based upon someone’s natural hair. This bill is similar to many others being passed around the United States (referred to as “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair” or “CROWN” acts), including H.R. 2116, which the United States House of Representatives passed on March 18, 2022.
The Minnesota Senate’s Civil Law and Data Practices Policy Committee is considering companion legislation, Senate File (SF) 1273.
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