Sponsors (16)
The bill modernizes federal terminology to reduce stigma and clarify regulatory language for people with intellectual disabilities, but it is largely semantic—imposing modest administrative costs and short-term confusion risks while not creating new substantive protections.
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities will be referred to using modern, person-first and respectful terminology across federal statutes and regulations, reducing stigma and improving dignity in official communications and care settings.
Federal statutes and regulations will use more consistent, modern language across programs (e.g., Medicaid, housing, DOJ grants), which reduces legal ambiguity about whom provisions apply to and helps administrators and beneficiaries understand program coverage.
Updating terminology in health and long-term care statutes can improve dignity and communication in care settings (nursing homes, intermediate care facilities), potentially enhancing patient experience for residents and clients.
State and federal agencies, local governments, and providers will need to spend time and resources to update regulations, forms, training, and guidance, creating administrative costs and staff burdens.
If agencies or states do not update implementing regulations uniformly, inconsistent terminology across federal and state materials could cause temporary confusion for providers, beneficiaries, and service systems interacting across jurisdictions.
Because the bill limits changes to terminology and does not update substantive definitions, people with disabilities may not gain any new legal protections or benefits that advocates sought.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Updates federal law language by replacing terms like “mental retardation” with person-first, modern terms such as “intellectual disability” and “individuals with intellectual disabilities.”
Introduced May 15, 2025 by Pete Sessions · Last progress May 15, 2025
Replaces outdated, stigmatizing federal terminology such as “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” with modern, person-first language like “intellectual disability” and “individuals with intellectual disabilities” across multiple federal statutes. It directs federal agencies to update regulations and regulatory language to reflect the new terms, to note that the prior terms were formerly used, and clarifies that these edits are terminology changes only and do not alter legal coverage, eligibility, rights, or responsibilities.