Federal law finally drops a slur—and updates how it talks about disability

What it does

This bill removes outdated and offensive terminology from federal law by replacing all instances of 'mentally retarded' and 'mental retardation' with 'intellectual disability' and 'individuals with intellectual disabilities' across dozens of federal statutes governing healthcare, education, social services, and criminal justice. The bill makes no changes to eligibility, coverage, rights, or benefits—only the language used to describe people with intellectual disabilities.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole function is to replace outdated, offensive terminology with current medical and respectful language across federal statutes. It is a technical, non-substantive amendment that affects language only, not policy, eligibility, or benefits.

What the text implies

• Regulatory agencies must issue guidance clarifying that 'intellectual disability' replaces 'mental retardation' in existing regulations, potentially requiring administrative action across HHS, DOJ, VA, and other agencies.
• State Medicaid programs and other state-administered federal programs are explicitly NOT required to change their own terminology, creating potential inconsistency between federal and state law language.
• The bill's explicit rule of construction (Section 4) prevents any reinterpretation of eligibility or coverage, but implementation may require agencies to audit and update internal guidance, training materials, and forms.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill updates federal law to use respectful, medically accurate terminology without altering any substantive rights, benefits, or eligibility criteria. Individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families benefit from removal of stigmatizing language embedded in federal programs they rely on; the general public benefits from more humane and accurate legal language. No citizen loses rights or access.

Named in the bill

Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Indian Health Service, Department of Education

Where it stands

15 cosponsors: 10 Republicans, 5 Democrats.

• May 15, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• May 15, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
• Mar 26, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Mar 26, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $210,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Pete Sessions, the sponsor, reported $561,450 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Special Olympics, Inc. — $160,000 on 1 filing
• National Down Syndrome Society — $50,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.