Summary — S 2563 (Filed 7/24/2025)
Title (metadata): Relates to election of public service commissioners
Actual bill text: An Act amending certain laws relative to individuals with disabilities
Note: the bill metadata (title and some sponsor information) appears inconsistent with the text provided. The text of S 2563 amends Massachusetts General Laws to modernize terminology and definitions related to people with disabilities. This summary focuses on the enacted text.
Purpose / Intent
The bill's primary purpose is to modernize and standardize statutory language throughout multiple chapters of the General Laws to use current, respectful, person‑first terminology for people with disabilities (for example, replacing “handicapped,” “disabled,” “mentally retarded,” and “hearing‑impaired” with “person with a disability,” “persons with disabilities,” “person with an intellectual or developmental disability,” and “deaf or hard of hearing,” respectively). It also revises at least one statutory definition to reflect contemporary phrasing.
Key provisions / changes
- Systematic replacement of outdated or stigmatizing terms with person‑first or current clinical terms across numerous sections (examples from chapter 6 and related chapters):
- “Employ Handicapped Persons Week” → “Persons with Disabilities Employment Week” (Section 1)
- “Autistic” → “Autism” in statutory headings/phrasing (Section 2)
- “disabled individuals” → “individuals with disabilities” (Section 3)
- “disabled American veterans” → “American veterans with disabilities” (Section 4)
- “handicapped persons” → “persons with disabilities” (multiple sections)
- “hearing‑impaired” → “deaf or hard of hearing” (Section 24)
- “mentally retarded person” / “the mentally retarded” → “person with an intellectual or a developmental disability” (Sections 20–22)
- Section 11 revises the statutory definition formerly labeled “Disabled person,” replacing it with a new definition of “Person with a disability.” The new definition references persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities as defined in chapter 123B, and more broadly persons who have intellectual, developmental, or physical disabilities and who, because of the disability, are wholly or partially dependent on others for daily living needs.
- Numerous additional cross‑references and phrase substitutions throughout chapter 6, chapters 6A, 6C, 6D, etc., updating language in program descriptions, agency roles, and statutory duties (text continues beyond the excerpt).
Who is affected
- Primary effect is linguistic and administrative: state executive agencies, courts, legislative drafters, and anyone using statutory language (forms, regulations, public materials).
- Indirect legal effect could arise where the old terms were part of eligibility or entitlement definitions. The new definition in Section 11 may affect interpretation of who qualifies for services or protections under statutes that rely on that defined term.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Administrative updates: agencies will need to update rules, forms, outreach materials, training, and automated systems to reflect new terminology.
- Legal interpretation: where statutes use replaced terms, courts and agencies may need to interpret whether the new phrasing changes substantive eligibility or scope of programs — especially where the new definition ties disability to dependence for daily living needs.
- Stigma reduction and clarity: the changes reflect modern best practices in respectful, person‑first language and may improve clarity and dignity in statute and public communications.
Procedural status & timeline (selected actions)
- Introduced in Senate: 2025-07-31 (read twice, referred to Commerce, Science & Transportation)
- Passed Senate to be engrossed (Roll Call #61): 2025-07-24 — Passed 40–0 (noted in text)
- Committee actions: Ordered reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute (10/21/2025); later committee recommended striking all after enacting clause and inserting text of H4704 (11/05/2025).
- House proceedings: Multiple readings and committee referrals; on 2025-11-05 House passed to be engrossed 154–0 (with amendments and reported out of committees).
- Earlier procedural notations include referral to Judiciary and a request for Attorney‑General opinion (Jan–Feb 2025).
Related bills
The file lists several prior-session related bills (S 1713, S 2002, S 6295, S 2319, etc.), indicating similar efforts in prior legislative sessions to modernize disability-related statutory language.
If you would like, I can:
- Produce a section-by-section list of all specific substitutions in the full text;
- Flag any provisions that could have significant substantive effects (beyond linguistic updates) for agency programs or eligibility; or
- Draft suggested implementation steps for agencies to update regulations, forms, and guidance.
