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New Laws for 2020: HB 1514 (Virginia)


On March 4th, Virginia became the first southern state to ban discrimination based upon an employee’s hair type, texture, or style.

The legislation amends the Virginia Human Rights Act (“VHRA”), by allowing employers in the state to enforce non-discriminatory appearance and grooming policies so long as those policies are not based upon an employee’s hair type, texture, or style.  Notably, the VHRA only applies to employers with more than 5 but less than 15 employees.  However, another piece of legislation expected to be signed into law shortly, SB 868, would extend VHRA to employers with more than 15 employees.

Readers will likely recall that Virginia is not the first state to pass this type of legislation, with California and New York leading that way on the matter (and New Jersey having followed suit earlier this year.)

HB 1514 is set to go into effect on July 1st.  For employers in Virginia, now would be a good time to ensure your policies and procedures do not run afoul of this new law.



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