An Act to authorize voluntary admission of patients to the District of Columbia institution providing care, education, and treatment of mentally retarded persons
PL 91-490 (H.R.4182), enacted 10/22/1970

84 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 91-490-OCT. 22, 1970 
1087 
Public Law 91-490 
A N A C T 
October 22, 1970 
To authorize voluntary admission of patients to the District of Columbia insti- 
[H. R. 4182] 
tution providing care, education, and treatment of substantially retarded 
persons. 
43 Stat. 1135. 
D.C. Code 32-
602. 
"Substantially 
retarded per-
44 Stat. 208. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of Am£7ica in Congress assewMed, 
institution for 
SECTION 1. The first four sections of the Act entitled "An Act to pro- retarded, voiun-
vide for commitments to, maintenance in, and discharges from the ^^^^ admission. 
District Training School, and for other purposes", approved March 3, 
1925, is amended as follows: 
(1) The first section of such Act (D.C. Code, sec, 32^601) is 
amended— 
(A) by striking out "feeble-minded" and inserting "substan-
tially retarded", 
(B) by striking out "Board" and inserting "Department", and 
(C) by striking out "The District Training School" and 
Forest Haven. 
inserting "Forest Haven". 
(2) Section 2 of such Act (D.C. Code, sec. 32-603) is amended to 
read as follows: 
"SEC. 2. For the purposes of this Act, the term 'substantially 
retarded persons' means persons afflicted with mental defectiveness 
from birth or from an early age, so pronounced that they are incapable 
of managing themselves and their affairs, and who require supervision, 
control, and care for their own welfare, for the welfare of others, or 
for the welfare of the community, and who are not insane nor of 
unsound mind to such an extent as to require their commitment to a 
hospital for the mentally ill." 
(3) Section 3 of such Act (D.C. Code, sec. 32-604) is amended— 
(A) by striking out "Board" and inserting "Department", 
(B) by striking out "inmates" and inserting "patients", and 
(C) by striking out "board" each place it appears and inserting 
"Department". 
(4) Section 4 of such Act (D.C. Code, sec. 32-605) is amended— 
(A) by striking out "Board" and inserting "Department", 
(B) by striking out "feeble-minded" and inserting "substan-
tially retarded", and 
(C) by striking out "board" and inserting "Department". 
SEC. 2. (a) Chapter 11 of title 21 of the District of Columbia Code 
(relating to commitment and maintenance of feeble-minded persons) 
is amended as follows: 
(1) Such chapter is amended by striking out "feeble-minded" each 
place it appears in sections 21-1102 through 21-1108,21-1110,21-1111, 
21-1113 through 21-1115, 21-1118, and 21-1123 and inserting in each 
such place in those sections "substantially retarded". 
(2) Such chapter is amended by striking out "the District Training 
School" each place it appears in sections 21-1102, 21-1108 through 
21-1113, 21-1116, and 21-1118 through 21-1122 and inserting in each 
such place in those sections "Forest Haven". 
(3) (A) Such chapter is amended by inserting after section 21-
1108 the following new section: 
"§ 21-1108A. Voluntary admission to Forest Haven 
"(a) The Director of Public Welfare (hereinafter in this section 
referred to as the 'Director') may admit a person to Forest Haven 
as a patient under this section only if— 
"(1) such person is certified by the Director of Public Health 
to be substantially retarded and in need of care at Forest Haven; 
^'(2) such person either by himself, his parents, his spouse, or 
79 Stat. 766. 
D.C. Code 21-
1101 to 21-1123 
Ante, p. 568. 
tract. 
1088 
PUBLIC LAW 91-490-OCT. 22, 1970 
[84 STAT. 
his legal guardian makes written application for admission to 
Forest Haven; and 
" (3) any contract required by subsection (d) has been executed. 
Release. 
^^ (h) Any persou admitted to Forest Haven pursuant to subsection 
(a) of this section shall be released therefrom no later than five days 
after receipt by the Superintendent of Forest Haven of a written 
request for release, except that if within such five-day period a petition 
79 Stat. 766; 
conccming such person, as provided by section 21-1103, is filed in the 
An e, p. 1087. 
United States District Court for the District of Columbia, such per-
son shall be detained until a final judgment is entered by the court 
upon such petition. 
Discharge. 
«((.^ 'pjjg Dircctor may discharge any patient of Forest Haven 
admitted under this section if the Director is satisfied that such dis-
charge will not adversely affect the welfare or interests of the person, 
the community, or others. 
Payment con- 
u^^j) (^) jf ^^ 
Director finds that any person with respect to 
whom an application for admission to Forest Haven has been made, 
as provided m this section, or any parent, spouse, adult child, or legal 
guardian of such person, is able to pay all or any part of the cost of 
maintenance and care of such person, the Director shall not admit 
such person unless a contract for payment, satisfactory to the Director, 
is executed by such person, parent, spouse, adult child, or legal 
guardian. 
"(2) The Director is authorized to enter into any agreement he 
deems necessary with any applicant to become a patient^ in Forest 
Haven, or with his parent, spouse, adult child, or legal guardian, for 
paj^ment to the District of Columbia of all or part of the cost of such 
maintenance and care. Upon default of payment provided by any con-
tract entered into under this section, the Director is authorized to 
discharge the patient of Forest Haven with respect to whose cost of 
maintenance and care the contract was entered into, and, in addition, 
he may utilize the procedures provided for in sections 21-1110 and 
21-1111 to secure payment. 
"(e) The District of Columbia Council is authorized to issue regula-
tions to carry out the purposes of this section. 
"(f) The authority contained in this section shall extend to Jan-
uary 1, 1975, unless repealed prior to that date." 
(B) The table of sections for such chapter is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 21-1108 the following: 
"21-1108A. Voluntary admission to Forest Haven." 
(4) Section 21-1101 is amended to read as follows: 
"§21-1101. Definitions 
"For purposes of this chapter— 
" Torest Haven' means the institution established pursuant to 
section 32-601, and designated 'Forest Haven' by section 32-602, 
or any successor to that institution; and 
" 'substantially retarded person' means any person afflicted 
with mental defectiveness from birth or from an early age, so 
pronounced that he is incapable of managing himself and his 
affairs, and who requires supervision, control, and care for his 
own welfare, for the welfare of others, or for the welfare of the 
community, and who is not insane nor of unsound mind to such 
an extent as to require his commitment to a hospital for the 
mentally ill." 
7 9 Stat. 76 9. 
(5) The first sentence of section 21-1110 is amended by inserting 
immediately after "as a public patient" the following: "or when a 
person is admitted to Forest Haven as a patient under section 
21-1108A". 
42 Stat. 1360. 
Ante, p. 1087. 
84 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 91-491-OCT. 22, 1970 
1089 
(6) The first sentence of section 21-1111 is amended by striking out 
^9 stat. 769. 
"and finds" and inserting "or when a person is admitted to Forest 
Haven as a patient under section 21-1108A, and the court 
finds". 
^"'*' P- i^^?. 
(Y) Section 21-1117 is amended by striking out "in feeble-minded-
ness" and inserting "initiated by a petition filed under section 21-1103". 
(8) Section 21-1121 is amended by striking out "and inmate" and 
inserting "a patient". 
(9) The section heading for section 21-1102 and the item relating 
to such section in the table of sections for such chapter is amended 
by striking out "District Training School" and inserting "Forest 
Haven". 
(10) The section heading for section 21-1103 and the item relating 
to such section in the table of sections for such chapter is amended 
by striking out "feeble-mindedness" and inserting 
"substantial 
retardation". 
(11) The section heading for section 21-1108 and the item relating 
to such section in the table of sections for such chapter is amended by 
striking out "District Training School" and inserting "Forest Haven". 
(12) The section heading for section 21-1114 and the item relating 
to such section in the table of sections for such chapter is amended by 
striking out "feeble-minded" and inserting "substantially retarded." 
(13) The section heading for section 21-1117 and the item relating 
to such section in the table of sections for such chapter is amended by 
_ , ,
^ 
striking out "of feeble-minded cases" and inserting "of cases brought 
under section 21-1103". 
(14) The section heading for section 21-1118 and the item relating 
^,^,. 
to such section in the table of sections for such chapter is amended 
by 
striking 
out 
"feeble-minded" 
and 
inserting 
"substantially 
retarded". 
(15) The section heading for section 21-1121 and the item relating 
to such section in the table of sections for such chapter is amended 
by striking out "inmates" and inserting "patients". 
(16) The section heading for section 21-1122 and the item relating 
to such section in the table of sections for such chapter is amended by 
striking out "inmates' " and inserting "patients' ". 
(17) The chapter heading for such chapter is amended by striking 
out "FEEBLE-MINDED" and inserting 
"SUBSTANTIALLY 
RETARDED". 
(b) The table of chapters for title 21 of the District of Columbia 
Code is amended by striking out in the item relating to chapter 11 
"Feeble-Minded" and inserting "Substantially Retarded". 
Approved October 22, 1970. 
Public Law 91-491 
AN ACT 
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October 22, 1970 
To adjust the date of rank of commissioned officers of the Marine Corps. 
[H.R. i03i7] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemhled, That section 5769 
Marine corps 
of title 10, United States Code, is amended as foUows: 
°^Datrof rank 
"(1) By striking out 'Except as provided in subsection (d), each' 
7oA*s°tat?3S6. 
m the first sentence of subsection (c) and inserting 'Each' in place 
thereof. 
" (2) By striking out subsection (d). 
SEC. 2. The amendments made by this Act are effective on January 1« Effective date. 
1959. 
^ ' 
Approved October 22, 1970. 
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