The Colorado House gave a thumbs up in the first of two required votes on a bill to protect hair rights in the workplace.

House Bill 1048, called the Crown Act, prohibits discrimination against hairstyles historically associated with race, such as dreadlocks.

Rep. Dave Williams, a Republican from Colorado Springs, opposed the bill in committee. He said agrees racial discrimination has no place in society. He didn’t think the debate in Colorado had considered whether there already are adequate anti-discrimination laws on the books.

RELATED: House committee approves, on party-line vote, bill to ban hair discrimination tied to race

Rep. Leslie Herod, a Democrat from Denver who is sponsoring the bill, replied that federal courts have not included hairstyles as a trait protected by anti-discrimination laws.

“We’re not just adding something to law for the fun of it,” she said.

Herod said the question “has a huge impact on people of color living in this country.”

She spoke of those who had been asked to make a choice involving their heritage, including Niemah Young, the Denver 11-year-old who left her cheerleading squad in a fuss over her natural hairstyle.

Rep. Janet Buckner, a Democrat from Aurora, she and her granddaughters had had a discussion the day before about hair and how society views it.

Her hair is short and relaxed, Buckner pointed out, before asking if other lawmakers would view her differently if she allowed it to frizzle out in its natural state.

“My hair has nothing to do with my ability,” she said. “It has nothing to do with my actions. Hair has nothing to do with my intelligence, so hair should not determine who I am and how I am perceived.”

Rep. Richard Holtorf, a Republican and veteran from Washington County, asked how it would affect Junior ROTC programs. 

“The military doesn’t discriminate, but how is this going to impact our military standards?” he asked the bill sponsors, then asked about safety in shop classes.

Herod, whose parents were in the military, said the services have accommodated short hairstyles that reflect ethic heritage. She said she uses hair ties to keep her long hair in place while around fans or anything else that could snag it.

“Safety is not a reason to discriminate,” she said. “We can actually put things in place, like hair ties.”

Erin Uritus, CEO of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, a national advocacy organization, responded to the vote on the Colorado bill Monday afternoon.

“Bias takes many forms,” Uritus said in a statement. “The filmmakers behind Hair Love did us all a service by telling a story that powerfully showed that hair-based discrimination is linked to race. They raised our collective consciousness. They deserve even more credit for connecting the dots to the Crown Act. Remedies like this are key to providing dignity and inclusion for all.”