Bill Text: CA AB1815 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Discrimination: race: hairstyles.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-23 - From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD. [AB1815 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB1815-Introduced.html

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1815

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Introduced by Assembly Member Weber
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bonta, Bryan, Gipson, Holden, Jackson, Jones-Sawyer, McCarty, McKinnor, and Wilson)
(Coauthors: Senators Bradford and Smallwood-Cuevas)

January 10, 2024

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An act to add Section 53.8 to the Civil Code, relating to discrimination.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1815, as introduced, Weber. Discrimination: hairstyles: amateur sports organizations.

Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, makes it unlawful to engage in specified discriminatory employment practices based on certain protected characteristics, including race, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification or applicable security regulations, and prohibits housing discrimination based on specified personal characteristics, including race.

Existing law also prohibits discrimination because of a perception that a person has one of those protected characteristics or is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any of those characteristics. Existing law defines the term race for purposes of these provisions to include traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, as defined.

This bill would prohibit an amateur sports organization, as defined, from discriminating against any person on the basis of race, inclusive of traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, as defined, in the operation, conduct, or administration of a youth or amateur sports competition, training, camp, or club.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NO   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 53.8 is added to the Civil Code, immediately following Section 53.7, to read:

53.8.

 (a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Amateur sports organization” means an organization, business, nonprofit entity, or a local governmental agency that sponsors or conducts youth or amateur sports competitions, training, camps, or clubs. “Amateur sports organization” does not include collegiate sports organizations and professional sports organizations.

(2) “Collegiate sports organization” means an athletic organization in which the participants are teams from a public or private institution of higher learning or an individual competing on behalf of a public or private institution of higher learning.

(3) “Professional sports organization” means an athletic organization in which the participants receive compensation for competing in a sporting event. Any organization that qualifies as a collegiate sports organization shall not be considered a professional sports organization regardless of whether competitors are compensated.

(4) “Protective hairstyles” includes, but is not limited to, such hairstyles as braids, locks, and twists.

(5) “Race” is inclusive of traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles.

(b) An amateur sports organization shall not discriminate against any person on the basis of race in the operation, conduct, or administration of a youth or amateur sports competition, training, camp, or club within this state.