Sponsors (15)
The bill modernizes federal language to reduce stigma and preserve benefits for people with intellectual disabilities, at the cost of modest administrative updates and the potential for uneven or temporarily confusing implementation across jurisdictions.
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities will be referred to in modern, respectful, non-stigmatizing language across federal statutes and regulations, improving dignity and reducing stigma in government programs and legal contexts.
Federal agencies, benefit programs, courts, and legal professionals will have clearer, up-to-date statutory and regulatory terminology, including cross-references to former terms, reducing administrative confusion and preserving legal continuity for program administration and litigation.
People eligible for federal benefits will retain existing benefits and legal protections because the wording changes are explicitly non-substantive, avoiding disruptions to coverage or eligibility.
Federal, state, and local agencies, healthcare providers, and taxpayers will incur modest administrative costs and staff time to update statutes, regulations, forms, guidance, training, and IT systems.
States may continue to use outdated terminology in state law, so people with disabilities could still face stigma and uneven treatment across jurisdictions.
People with disabilities and program administrators may face short-term confusion if agencies implement wording changes hastily or inconsistently across regulations.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Replaces outdated terms like "mental retardation" in federal law with modern language such as "intellectual disability" and "individuals with intellectual disabilities."
Introduced May 15, 2025 by Pete Sessions · Last progress May 15, 2025
Replaces outdated and offensive terms such as "mental retardation" and "the mentally retarded" in multiple federal statutes with modern, person-first disability language like "intellectual disability" and "individuals with intellectual disabilities." Requires federal agencies to treat prior regulatory references to the old terms as referring to the modern terms and to note that the older language was formerly used. The changes are strictly textual and are not intended to alter eligibility, benefits, responsibilities, definitions, funding, or state law requirements.