Emergency Legislation: An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council Regarding Respectful Language [Public Law 2011, Chapter 542 (formerly LD 1845)]
Emergency legislation was passed during the Second Regular Session of the 125th Maine Legislature to implement the recommendations of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council regarding respectful language by replacing references to “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” with references to “intellectual disability” and “person with an intellectual disability” in all Titles of the Maine Revised Statutes Annotated.
With respect to the education laws codified in Title 20-A, revisions were made in Section 7001, sub-section 1-B, ¶B, Child with a disability, and also in Section 7258, sub-sections 1-A and 1-B, Case Manager and Annual Report.
As emergency legislation, it takes effect immediately upon being signed by the Governor and receiving approval from two-thirds of the Maine Legislature. The effective date of this legislation is March 20, 2012. The general effective date for non-emergency laws passed in the Second Regular Session is August 30, 2012.
The finally enacted version of this legislation is available on the Legislature’s website at http://www.mainelegislature.org/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?ID=280043983.
More information
- Jan Breton
Director of Special Services
Maine DOE
624-6676
janice.breton@maine.gov