Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Rosa's Law, which will replace all references of ``mental retardation'' with the term ``intellectual disability'' throughout the U.S. Code. I would like to first thank my colleague from New York, Representative Mike McMahon, who has been a passionate champion of ending discrimination against individuals with intellectual disabilities and lifting the stigma associated with the outdated and outmoded classification of an entire population. At the turn of the last century, the prevailing sentiment in our society was that those with cognitive impairments or behavioral limitations should be institutionalized--excluded from mainstream society and locked away as wards of the state. In Federal statute, they were referred to as ``feeble-minded.'' Of course, we have come a long way since then. With passage of laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA, we have taken great strides to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities are afforded equal opportunities in schools and workplaces free from discrimination, as well as supports for independent living. We have broken down many of the exclusionary policies that relegated these individuals to being treated as second-class citizens. However, the U.S. Federal Code still contains antiquated references to ``mental retardation'' that no longer reflect our collective values.…”