Rosa's Law
Public Law 111-256 · S. 2781 · 111th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Oct 5, 2010 · Health
Sponsor: Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Cosponsors (44): Sen. Michael Enzi, Sen. Tom Harkin,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Rosa's Law - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Public Health Service Act, the Health Professions Education Partnerships Act of 1998, the National Sickle Cell Anemia Act, Cooley's Anemia, Tay-Sachs, and Genetic Diseases Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and other federal enactments and regulations to change references to mental retardation to references to an intellectual disability.
Declares that the changes by this Act are made without any intent to: (1) change the coverage, eligibility, rights, responsibilities, or definitions referred to in the amended provisions; or (2) compel states to change terminology in state laws for individuals covered by a provision amended by this Act.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 4544Related bill
Elizabeth A. Connelly Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 21 actions.
- Oct 5, 2010Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 111-256.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 23, 2010FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Sep 22, 2010FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2781.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Pallone moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- Aug 9, 2010FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Education and Labor
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce
- Aug 6, 2010FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Aug 5, 2010FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Aug 3, 2010CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 506.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Harkin with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 111-244.
- May 26, 2010CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Nov 17, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S11432-11433)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.