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An "end the word" banner hangs outside the Michigan Capitol on March 5, 2014.

LANSING, MI -- Michigan lawmakers, recognizing the national movement to "end the word," voted Wednesday to remove all instances of "retarded" and "retardation" from state law.

The state Senate unanimously approved seven different bills designed to strip the words from various statutes and replace them with references to intellectual or developmental disabilities.

The House is expected to follow suit in the afternoon, when it is scheduled to take up an additional eight bills that would remove the "R-word" from other statutes.

"This is an archaic term in Michigan law that doesn't belong there," said state Sen. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge), who sponsored one of the bills. "It would be the same as if we were to use racial slurs. It simply does not belong in Michigan law, and it costs nothing to remove it."

The bipartisan legislation was inspired by the Michigan Mental Health and Wellness Commission, which released a series of policy recommendations last month -- including changes aimed at reducing the stigma associated with developmental disabilities.

Michigan is believed to be one of just a handful of states that has not yet removed references to "retarded" and "retardation" from its statutes.

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, who chairs the commission and has a daughter with autism, testified in support of the legislation last week, explaining that "retarded" has devolved from a medical term to a pejorative insult with the power to belittle the developmentally disabled and their families.

"We're taking a step here at the state, but the larger goal is to eliminate the use of this word across the board, and to really see people for the type of value they can provide, not to limit people according to a diagnosis or condition," Calley told MLive.

To that end, the state Senate also approved a resolution declaring March 5 "spread the word to end the word day" in Michigan, a nod to a national effort led by the Special Olympics and other organizations that encourages residents to pledge not to use the offensive language.

Sponsoring Sen. Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) noted that lawmakers could find a copy of the pledge, along with a t-shirt, on their desks.

"I hope you will all take the time to sign this pledge and take it seriously back into your communities," Warren told her colleagues. "Let's move forward to show that we are an inclusive state that values all of our citizens."

Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter.