---
type: "Bill"
title: "\"Create a Respectful and Open Workspace for Natural Hair Act\"- CROWN Act; addresses discrimination under \"Law Against Discrimination.\" based on traits historically associated with race, particularly focused on hair texture and style.*"
description: "\"Create a Respectful and Open Workspace for Natural Hair Act\"- CROWN Act; addresses discrimination under \"Law Against Discrimination.\" based on traits historically associated with race, particularly focused on hair texture and style.*"
jurisdiction: "us/states/nj"
legislature: "New Jersey Legislature"
session: "218"
identifier: "S 3945"
citation: "New Jersey S 3945 (218)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["CIVIL RIGHTS"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Cunningham, Sandra B.", "Gill, Nia H.", "McKnight, Angela V.", "Reynolds-Jackson, Verlina", "Speight, Shanique", "Timberlake, Britnee N.", "Turner, Shirley K."]
version_count: 2
action_count: 8
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2019-06-13T04:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2019-12-19T05:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/4d2c32b0-1493-4569-9183-70079b1ef2c7"
source_url: "http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/downloads.asp"
source_hash: "30557cc813cdfebcc1037168fad623bfd28f568d2a69fff2cf66f9ec2963becf"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-nj"]
---

# New Jersey S 3945 (218) — "Create a Respectful and Open Workspace for Natural Hair Act"- CROWN Act; addresses discrimination under "Law Against Discrimination." based on traits historically associated with race, particularly focused on hair texture and style.*

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2018/Bills/S4000/3945_I1.HTM)
2. **Reprint** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2018/Bills/S4000/3945_R1.HTM)

## Votes

- 3RDG FINAL PASSAGE — **71–1** (pass) · lower
- Reported out of Senate committee with amendments — **10–1** (pass) · upper
- 3RDG FINAL PASSAGE — **38–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Cunningham, Sandra B. — primary (person)
- Gill, Nia H. — primary (person)
- McKnight, Angela V. — primary (person)
- Reynolds-Jackson, Verlina — primary (person)
- Speight, Shanique — primary (person)
- Timberlake, Britnee N. — primary (person)
- Turner, Shirley K. — primary (person)
- Carter, Linda S. — cosponsor (person)
- Cruz-Perez, Nilsa — cosponsor (person)
- Gopal, Vin — cosponsor (person)
- Holley, Jamel C. — cosponsor (person)
- Jasey, Mila M. — cosponsor (person)
- Mosquera, Gabriela M. — cosponsor (person)
- Quijano, Annette — cosponsor (person)
- Rice, Ronald L. — cosponsor (person)
- Ruiz, M. Teresa — cosponsor (person)
- Singleton, Troy — cosponsor (person)
- Sumter, Shavonda E. — cosponsor (person)
- Tucker, Cleopatra G. — cosponsor (person)
- Vainieri Huttle, Valerie — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-06-13T04:00:00+00:00** Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Labor Committee `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2019-09-10T04:00:00+00:00** Transferred to Senate Judiciary Committee `referral-committee`
- **2019-11-18T05:00:00+00:00** Reported out of Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading `committee-passage`
- **2019-12-16T05:00:00+00:00** Passed Senate (38-1) `passage`
- **2019-12-16T05:00:00+00:00** Received in the Assembly without Reference, 2nd Reading
- **2019-12-16T05:00:00+00:00** Substituted for A5564 (1R)
- **2019-12-16T05:00:00+00:00** Passed Assembly (Passed Both Houses) (71-1-0) `passage`
- **2019-12-19T05:00:00+00:00** Approved P.L.2019, c.272. `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/4d2c32b0-1493-4569-9183-70079b1ef2c7`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New Jersey legislature records).