Words Matter Act of 2025

The Words Matter Act of 2025 is a proposed federal bill that would remove the terms “mentally retarded” and “mental retardation” from federal law and replace them with “intellectual disability” or “individuals with intellectual disabilities” across a wide range of statutes and programs. The bill is introduced in the 119th Congress (May 15, 2025) and is attributed to multiple sponsors in the House (Mr. Sessions and others). Its purpose is to update federal terminology to reflect current language used by medical and advocacy communities, while preserving the existing coverage, eligibility, rights, and definitions in the amended provisions. In practice, the bill would mandate linguistic changes in areas including health care contracts, housing and mortgage insurance, criminal justice, federal health programs, Indian health initiatives, social security and welfare programs, nutrition programs, and civil rights protections. It also requires agencies to explain in regulations that “intellectual disability” was formerly termed “mental retardation” and to clearly note the historical terminology when carrying out amendments. Importantly, the act includes a provision stating this language update should not be understood as changing who is covered or entitled to benefits, nor as obligating states to alter their own laws.