Congress wants to make sure military commanders aren't still messing up troops' hair.
Tucked into the massive federal budget extension this week is language mandating a new report by this spring on how military commanders have responded to concerns about grooming standards.
The work is designed to alleviate concerns after past standards were deemed "offensive and discriminatory to minority women" by critics. Lawmakers said they want assurances that military officials have learned from those past problems, and are including those critiques in future standards development.
In April, Army officials issued new grooming rules banning twists or multiple braids bigger than a quarter of an inch in diameter, dreadlocks of any style, and uneven or oversized cornrows.
Numerous African American female soldiers complained about the rules, saying they were racially biased and prevented them from wearing their hair naturally.
Army officials defended the regulations and the process to develop them, but in August Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reversed most of those changes, promising new grooming standards would be "fair and respectful while also meeting military requirements."
The new legislative language recognizes those changes but also asks more details of how those concerns factored into Hagel's decisions.
The budget bill is expected to pass the House on Thursday and be finalized by the Senate over the weekend. Without a deal, government workers could face another partial shutdown of operations starting Friday.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
