Back in 1837, the U.S. House of Representatives banned the wearing of hats in the chamber in a move to differentiate itself from the British Parliament.
But in 2018, the elected lawmakers have voted to rescind the rule. Ilhan Omar, a newly elected Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, will be the first to wear a hijab in the chamber.
“There are those kinds of policies that oftentimes get created because people who have blind spots are in positions of influence and positions of power,” Omar told the New York Post on Thursday. “I think it will be really exciting to see the stuff that we notice within the rules that don’t work for a modern-day America.”
Under the revised rules, lawmakers will be allowed to wear religious headwear and coverings for medical reasons.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman also praised the changes. The New Jersey Democrat had a tumor successfully removed and has undergone chemotherapy since September to ensure she’s cancer free.
The treatment caused her hair to fall out. She wears a hat outside, but when she votes on the House floor she takes it off.
“I just have a bald head and I’m somewhat getting used to it hoping that it’s a very temporary thing,” Watson Coleman told The Post. “I don’t think I would start wearing a (hat) now, but I recognize that if someone else has the same issue and wants to, they should be able to.”
The House has made some other dress code changes. Under Speaker Paul Ryan, the House decided to no longer enforce a rule that barred bare arms on the chamber floor (D.C. gets hot in August). Luckily, only women have taken advantage of that rule change.
