21st Century Language Act of 2012

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this bill eliminates outdated references in the U.S. Code that stigmatize individuals with mental illness issues. This legislation easily passed the Senate with strong bipartisan support.

The bill eliminates the word "lunatic'' from several sections of the United States Code in order for our Code to reflect meanings which are much more appropriate and up to date in the 21st century.

In the past, Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have worked together to address similar terms in the Code which negatively describe individuals with mental health issues. For example, in 2010, Rosa's Law passed in Congress with bipartisan support and was later signed into law. The law replaced parts of the Code containing the phrase "having mental retardation'' with the phrase "having intellectual disabilities.''

The term "lunatic'' holds a place in antiquity and should no longer have a prominent place in our U.S. Code. Although the bill does not replace the word with another term, it follows the precedence of Congress to study semantics and continuously improves the status and appropriateness of our Nation's laws by addressing pejorative terms.

I applaud the bipartisan group of Senators--Senators CONRAD, CRAPO, and JOHANNS--for their work on this legislation. In addition, the bill shares strong support among our Nation's leading mental health advocates.

I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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