# 119-hr-3420: Words Matter Act of 2025

119-hr-3420, Words Matter Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-17] (R-TX); status in_committee (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3420
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-3420
- Congress: 119
- Title: Words Matter Act of 2025
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-05-15
- Sponsor: Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-17] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 15
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Modernize federal language by replacing "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability".** - Families and individuals: Federal program descriptions, eligibility wording, and benefit materials in areas like school lunch, housing, Medicaid, and long-term care would use updated, respectful terminology instead of outdated, stigmatizing words. - Justice system: Death-penalty rules, mental health court definitions, and criminal-justice grant provisions would be revised to refer to "intellectual disability" rather than older terms, changing legal language and case descriptions. - Federal agencies and regulations: Agencies would be instructed to treat older references as referring to intellectual disability and to clearly note the historical terminology change. The bill includes a rule saying these wording updates are not meant to change coverage, eligibility, rights, or responsibilities.

## Cosponsors (15)

- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hudson, Richard [R-NC-9] (R-NC), 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Zinke, Ryan K. [R-MT-1] (R-MT), 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] (R-NJ), 2025-06-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] (R-KS), 2025-06-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Houchin, Erin [R-IN-9] (R-IN), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Letlow, Julia [R-LA-5] (R-LA), 2025-08-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2025-09-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Babin, Brian [R-TX-36] (R-TX), 2025-09-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14] (R-TX), 2025-09-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-09-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Duyne, Beth [R-TX-24] (R-TX), 2025-10-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17] (D-IL), 2026-02-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-1502: North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-3420 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3420)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-452)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-1502: North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1502)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3420 (as of 2026-09-21).