{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-molinaro-and-moran-celebrate-senate-passage-words-matter-district", "Norton, Molinaro, and Moran Celebrate Senate Passage of Words Matter for District of Columbia Courts Act, to Remove Derogatory Language from D.C. Code", "2024-09-27", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Congressman Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) celebrated Senate passage of the Words Matter for District of Columbia Courts Act, to remove the term \u201cretarded\u201d from Title 11 of the District of Columbia Code and replace it with more appropriate and respectful terminology. Under the D.C. Home Rule Act, only Congress can amend Title 11 of the D.C. Code. The bill was introduced in the House in November.\n\n\u201cWords indisputably matter, and I am pleased, particularly in this divided Congress, that a bipartisan group of lawmakers has come together to bring the D.C. Code into the 21st Century,\u201d Norton said. \u201cMy own daughter, Katherine, has Down syndrome. I\u2019m appalled at the thought of someone using the \u2018R-word\u2019 slur toward her, and it is unacceptable that the derogatory term is still a part of the D.C. Code. Only Congress can amend Title 11 of the D.C. Code. I look forward to continuing our efforts to pass the bill in the House and get it signed into law by the president.\u201d\n\n\"I\u2019m proud to cosponsor such important legislation to ensure every individual of every ability is treated with value and respect,\u201d Molinaro said. \u201cThere is no question we should remove derogatory language from the D.C. code, and I'm pleased to work with my colleagues to get this done.\"\n\n\u201cLanguage that is degrading to individuals with disabilities should be eliminated from our laws and courts, and this legislation works to maintain the dignity of all people,\u201d said Moran. \u201cI urge the House of Representatives to quickly pass this legislation that respects and values people with disabilities.\u201d\n\nThe Words Matter for District of Columbia Courts Act has been endorsed by the National Down Syndrome Society, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, the Association of University Centers Disabilities, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, the National Down Syndrome Congress and the Special Olympics.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-molinaro-and-moran-celebrate-senate-passage-words-matter-district"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9562741033732891, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}