I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4876 

To direct the Law Revision Counsel of the House of Representatives to 

replace masculine pronouns and nouns in the United States Code with 

gender-neutral language, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 25, 2023 

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania (for herself, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. ROBERT GARCIA

of California, and Ms. NORTON) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To direct the Law Revision Counsel of the House of Representatives to replace masculine pronouns and nouns 

in the United States Code with gender-neutral language, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Equality in Laws Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE IN THE UNITED 

6 STATES CODE. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Law Revision Counsel of the 

8 House of Representatives shall make such changes to the 


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•HR 4876 IH

1 titles of the United States Code as are necessary to replace 

2 masculine pronouns and nouns in such titles with gender3 neutral language in each case in which such revisions and 

4 amendments would not affect the substance or meaning 

5 of the relevant titles, including— 

6 (1) by striking ‘‘his’’ each place it appears and, 

7 as required by the relevant context, inserting— 

8 (A) ‘‘the individual’s’’; 

9 (B) the appropriate possessive form of the 

10 noun to which the pronoun refers; 

11 (C) ‘‘their’’ or ‘‘theirs’’; or 

12 (D) the appropriate possessive form of the 

13 title of the position to which the pronoun refers; 

14 and 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘he’’ and ‘‘him’’ each place such 

16 words appear and, as required by the relevant con17 text, inserting— 

18 (A) ‘‘the individual’’; 

19 (B) the noun to which the pronoun refers; 

20 (C) ‘‘they’’ or ‘‘them’’; or 

21 (D) the appropriate title of the position to 

22 which the pronoun refers. 

23 (b) REVISION OF POSITIVE LAW TITLES.—The Law 

24 Revision Counsel of the House of Representatives shall, 

25 pursuant to subsection (a), prepare and submit to the 


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•HR 4876 IH

1 Committee on the Judiciary such revisions in the titles of 

2 the United States Code which have been enacted into posi3 tive law as may be necessary to strike masculine pronouns 

4 and nouns and insert gender-neutral language in each case 

5 in which such revisions conform to the understood policy, 

6 intent, and purpose of the Congress in the original enact7 ments. 

8 (c) AMENDMENT OF NONPOSITIVE LAW TITLES.— 

9 The Law Revision Counsel of the House of Representa10 tives shall, pursuant to subsection (a), draft a bill to 

11 amend the titles of the United States Code that have not 

12 yet been enacted into positive law for the purpose of strik13 ing masculine pronouns and nouns and inserting gender14 neutral language in each case in which such amendments 

15 conform to the understood policy, intent, and purpose of 

16 the Congress in the original enactments. 

17 (d) GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE DEFINED.—The 

18 term ‘‘gender-neutral language’’ means language that ex19 pressly or implicitly refers to all genders without distinc20 tion between such genders and does not expressly or im21 plicitly refer to a gender to the real or apparent exclusion 

22 of any other gender. 

Æ 


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