Mental retardation: change of term to intellectual disabilities.

Existing federal Medicaid provisions require a state to describe its Medicaid program in its state plan, which is required by federal law to provide for, among other things, a public process for determination of rates of payment under the plan for hospital services, nursing facility services, and services of intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded. Under existing law, various state statutes refer to mentally retarded persons in provisions relating to, among other things, services, commitment to state facilities, and criminal punishment. This bill, which would be known as the Shriver "R-Word" Act, would revise various statutes to, instead, refer to a person with an intellectual disability. The bill would also state the intent of the Legislature that the bill not be construed to change the coverage, eligibility, rights, responsibilities, or substantive definitions referred to in the amended provisions of the bill.