Disabilities, persons with; modernize terminology used to refer to.

HB 522 requires Mississippi state agencies and legislative drafting offices to replace outdated, disrespectful terms like "handicapped," "crippled," or "mentally retarded" with person-centered language such as "persons with disabilities" or "persons with intellectual disabilities" in all new laws, rules, and official documents. It directly affects how state government communicates about disability, mandating that all legislation and agency materials use terminology that "puts the person before the disability." The bill amends over 40 sections of Mississippi law to enforce this language shift, emphasizing that respectful terminology shapes societal attitudes toward people with disabilities. The change applies to all state agencies, legislative drafting, and official rules, without invalidating existing laws that don't yet comply.