Updates federal laws to use respectful language for people with intellectual disabilities.
This bill, called the Words Matter Act of 2025, would change outdated terms in federal laws. It would replace words like "mentally retarded" with "intellectual disability" or "individuals with intellectual disabilities" across many areas, from healthcare to criminal justice. This ensures more respectful language without changing anyone's benefits or rights.
Today, many federal laws use outdated terms like "mentally retarded" and "mental retardation". If this bill becomes law, these terms would be replaced with "intellectual disability" and "individuals with intellectual disabilities" across various federal statutes, making the language more respectful and modern without changing any benefits or rights.
HR 3420 · 119th Congress · May 15, 2025 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10
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6 filings mentioned this bill
Amounts reflect total quarterly lobbying spend reported to the Senate, not bill-specific spending. Source: Senate LDA filings.