Missouri: The CROWN Act (HB427)
Adopted: August 2024 Bill Number: HB427 Governor: Mike Parson Status: Enacted
Missouri enacted its CROWN Act in August 2024 when Governor Mike Parson, a Republican, signed HB427. Missouri became the twenty-fourth state to adopt CROWN Act protections, and as of this writing, the most recent state to enact hair discrimination legislation.
Key Provisions
Missouri Human Rights Act amendment. HB427 amends the state’s anti-discrimination framework to include hair texture and protective hairstyles within the definition of race.
Employment and public accommodation. The legislation covers employment decisions and public accommodations, extending protections to Missouri’s diverse workforce.
Missouri Commission on Human Rights. The commission has jurisdiction over hair-related discrimination complaints under the amended statute.
Missouri Context
Missouri’s adoption was significant as the twenty-fourth state and another instance of a Republican governor signing CROWN Act legislation. With approximately 700,000 Black residents, concentrated in St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri has substantial African American communities with active civil rights traditions.
St. Louis’s history of racial segregation and its ongoing engagement with racial justice issues provided strong motivation for the legislation. Kansas City’s growing and diversifying population added further impetus. Both cities are major employment centres where grooming policies affect diverse workforces across healthcare, manufacturing, education, and service industries.
Governor Parson’s signature continued the bipartisan pattern that has characterised the CROWN Act movement throughout its progression from California to Missouri.
The Twenty-Fourth State
As the most recent CROWN Act adoption, Missouri’s enactment represents the current frontier of the movement. Twenty-four states, with combined populations covering a majority of Americans, now have explicit hair discrimination protections. The geographic and political diversity of these states, spanning from California to Alaska, Montana to Louisiana, Massachusetts to Texas, demonstrates the universal nature of the issue.
For the complete legislative progression, see the CROWN Act timeline. For analysis of what these twenty-four state adoptions mean for European legislative efforts, see Lessons from the CROWN Act for Europe.
For detailed legal analysis of Missouri’s CROWN Act provisions, contact contact@crown.ngo.