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| US Congress bans word 'lunatic' in federal legislation | US Congress bans word 'lunatic' in federal legislation |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The sharply divided US Congress has been able to agree on one thing at least - that the world "lunatic" should be banned. | The sharply divided US Congress has been able to agree on one thing at least - that the world "lunatic" should be banned. |
| The House of Representatives voted 398-1 on Wednesday to strike the term from all federal legislation, after the Senate did the same in May. | The House of Representatives voted 398-1 on Wednesday to strike the term from all federal legislation, after the Senate did the same in May. |
| The measure is designed to remove language that has become outdated or demeaning from the US code. | |
| The bill will now go to President Barack Obama for his signature. | The bill will now go to President Barack Obama for his signature. |
| Senator Kent Conrad, one of the sponsors of the measure, said: "Federal law should reflect the 21st Century understanding of mental illness and disease, and that the continued use of this pejorative term has no place in the US code." | Senator Kent Conrad, one of the sponsors of the measure, said: "Federal law should reflect the 21st Century understanding of mental illness and disease, and that the continued use of this pejorative term has no place in the US code." |
| The word still appears in some parts of federal law - a section of financial regulation, for example, addresses the power of a bank to act as a "committee of estates of lunatics". | The word still appears in some parts of federal law - a section of financial regulation, for example, addresses the power of a bank to act as a "committee of estates of lunatics". |
| The only "no" vote came from Texas congressman Louie Gohmert, who said it was madness for lawmakers to waste time on such a measure when more high-profile issues loomed, such as the federal debt. | The only "no" vote came from Texas congressman Louie Gohmert, who said it was madness for lawmakers to waste time on such a measure when more high-profile issues loomed, such as the federal debt. |
| "Not only should we not eliminate the word 'lunatic' from federal law when the most pressing issue of the day is saving our country from bankruptcy," said Rep Gohmert in a statement. | "Not only should we not eliminate the word 'lunatic' from federal law when the most pressing issue of the day is saving our country from bankruptcy," said Rep Gohmert in a statement. |
| "We should use the word to describe the people who want to continue with business as usual in Washington." | "We should use the word to describe the people who want to continue with business as usual in Washington." |