Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I am pleased to be joined by Senator Crapo in introducing the 21st Century Language Act of 2012. This bipartisan legislation updates federal law by eliminating references that contribute to the stigmatization of mental health conditions. Specifically, this legislation removes the word ``lunatic'' from several sections of the United States Code to reflect our nation's modern understanding of mental health conditions. Recently, a North Dakota constituent contacted my office to express support for legislative efforts to remove this outdated and inappropriate language from federal law. Senator Crapo and I agree that federal law should reflect the 21st century understanding of mental illness and disease, and that the continued use of this pejorative term has no place in the U.S. Code. Senator Crapo and I have worked with the Senate Banking Committee to confirm that ``lunatic'' is an unnecessary term and that its removal will have no impact on the broader federal law. This legislation enjoys strong support from a number of mental health advocates across the nation, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Health America, National Council on Community Behavioral Healthcare, and the Clinical Social Work Association. I hope my colleagues will join me in working to pass this overdue update to the U.S. Code. ____________________”