SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah lawmaker has received criticism for comments he made during a committee hearing on a proposed ban to race-based hair discrimination. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that several Black women testified about the harms of race-based grooming policies. Republican state Sen. Derrin Owens told the women “you people are beautiful” and added that he believes society is moving in the right direction without the need for legal change. The bill would add “protective hairstyles” to the definition of race and prohibit employment discrimination on those grounds. Owens has since apologized and said his comments were taken out of context.