HB 416 Summary

• Replaces outdated and stigmatizing terminology throughout Delaware Code with person-first language, changing terms like "handicap" to "disability" and "mentally ill" to "person with a mental disability"

• Updates civil rights and public accommodation laws (Title 6) to use inclusive language when describing protections for individuals with disabilities and elderly persons

• Modifies juvenile justice statutes (Title 10) to replace "mental illness" with "mental disorder or incapacity" in competency evaluations and disposition proceedings for children

• Updates criminal justice provisions (Title 11) to use more respectful terminology for individuals with mental disabilities in sentencing and institutional placement contexts

• Revises motor vehicle regulations (Title 21), guardianship laws (Title 12), family law (Title 13, 25), workers' compensation (Title 19), and firearm regulations (Title 28) to remove insensitive language and adopt person-first disability terminology throughout