Sheila Jackson Lee: “I am very grateful to the chairman for the time. I thank him so very much. Again, this is an outstanding tennis player.…”

“I am very grateful to the chairman for the time. I thank him so very much. Again, this is an outstanding tennis player. This is a young man. These are styles that are neat and certainly acceptable. This is a Native American. Again, a Black woman. And here is the ultimate insult in my State. This young man, before he could compete, had to have his dreadlocks cut. Mr. Speaker, the CROWN Act is imperative; it is needed; and I can assure you, it will not impact any medical attention that you need because the CROWN Act is about hair and hair does not impact your medical needs. Mr. Speaker, we need the CROWN Act. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the committee on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and on the Budget, and an original cosponsor of this important legislation, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2116, the ``Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act of 2021'' (``CROWN Act). This necessary legislation explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of hair texture or hairstyles commonly associated with a particular race or national origin in areas of the law where discrimination on the basis of race or national origin is already prohibited. It has long been my position that discrimination based on hair texture and hairstyle is a form of impermissible race discrimination.…”