AB 2370 goes into effect Saturday

California state code will no longer call people “mentally retarded” or refer to “mental retardation” once a new law Gov. Jerry Brown signed Saturday goes into effect. Those terms will be replaced with references to “intellectual disability.”

Assemblyman Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa) authored AB 2370, known as the Shriver R-Word Act. It was named after Dr. Timothy Shriver, chairman and chief executive of the Special Olympics, according to a press release from Mansoor’s office. It was intended to “recognize the Shriver family’s longstanding commitment and hard-work with the intellectually disabled community.”

According to a state analysis, bill sponsor Best Buddies California wrote that most states have already eliminated “the R-word” from their statutes.

— Jill Cowan

Twitter: @jillcowan