An Act To Rename the Bangor Mental Health Institute the Dorothea Dix Center for Public Service and To Establish the Dorothea Dix A ward
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0561
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: FAIRCLOTH, PERRY, BRANNIGAN, CANAVAN, DUNN, PLOWMAN
Amends: 34-B MRSA §320

Legislative Document 
No. 561 
H.P.416 
House of Representatives, February 3, 2005 
An Act To Rename the Bangor Mental Health Institute the 
Dorothea Dix Center for Public Service and To Establish the 
Dorothea Dix A ward 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative FAIRCLOTH of Bangor. 
Cosponsored by Senator PERRY of Penobscot and 
IY/~ 
1I7·711u£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BRANNIGAN of Portland, CANAVAN of Waterville, DUNN of Bangor, 
Senator: PLOWMAN of Penobscot. 
Printed on recyc led paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 34-B MRSA c. 1, sub-c. 2-B is enacted to read: 
SUBCHAPTER 2-B 
DOROTHEA DIX AWARD 
S1301. 
Dorothea Dix Award 
The 
commissioner shall establish the Dorothea Dix 
Award, 
which recognizes and honors outstanding achievement in improving 
policies pertaining to people living with mental illness or 
mental disabilities. 
The award must be made on April 4th of each 
odd-numbered year at the Dorothea Dix Center for Public Service. 
The Governor shall present the award. 
1. 
Eligibility. 
A person who is a Maine resident or has 
direct long-standing ties with Maine is eligible to win the award. 
2. 
Dorothea Dix 
Ac~a.I:~e_l_t;t.c....ti.Qn Committee; 
establj,~be~~ 
The 
Dorothea 
Dix 
Award 
Selection 
Co~nittee, 
known 
in 
this 
subchapter as "the committee," is established and consists of the 
following 4 members: 
A. 
One member must be a representative of an organization 
that advocates for people with mental illness and their 
families, chosen by the Governor; 
B. 
One member must be from an organization that advocates 
for the legal rights of people living with disabilities, 
chosen by the President of the Senate; 
C. 
One member must be from an organization that advocates 
for people with mental disabilities, chosen by the Speaker 
of the House of Representatives; and 
D. 
One member must be a representative from an organization 
that advocates for children living with mental illness or 
mental disabilities, chosen by the Attorney General. 
2. 
Selection 
procedure. 
Any 
person 
may 
nominate 
a 
candidate for the award. 
The committee shall develop a review 
and selection procedure. 
Sec. 2. 34-B MRSA §320I, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, 
is amended to read: 
§3201. 
Maintenance 
Page l-LR0306(1) 
The 
commissioner 
shall 
maintain 
state 
mental 
health 
institutes for the mentally ill, one at Bangor called the 8aR~eF 
MeRta*--He-a-l-t.-h--IRst~t~te Dorothea Dix Center for Public Service 
and 
the 
other 
at 
Augusta 
called 
the 
A~~~sta--MeRta*--Hea*ta 
IRst~t~te Riverview PSYkhiatric Center. 
Sec. 3. Maine Revised Statutes amended; revision clause. 
Wherever 
in the Maine Revised Statutes the words "Bangor Mental Health 
Institute" appear or reference is made to that entity or those 
words, those words are amended to read or mean, as appropriate, 
"Dorothea Dix Center for Public Service," and the Revisor of 
Statutes shall implement this revision when updating, publishing 
or republishing the statutes. 
Sec. 4. Transition provisions. 
All existing supplies, 
forms, 
letterheads and similar items bearing the name of or referring to 
the Bangor Mental Health Institute or to the Superintendent of 
the Bangor Mental Health Institute may be used by the Dorothea 
Dix 
Center 
for 
Public Service or 
the 
Superintendent of 
the 
Dorothea Dix Center for Public Service until existing supplies of 
these items are exhausted. 
All 
existing contracts, 
Bangor Mental Health Institute 
effect. 
agreements 
currently 
and 
compacts 
of 
in effect continue 
the 
in 
Any 
positions 
authorized 
and 
allocated 
subject 
to 
the 
personnel 
laws 
to 
the 
Bangor 
Mental 
Health 
Institute 
are 
transferred to the Dorothea Dix Center for Public Service and may 
continue to be authorized. 
SUMMARY 
, 
This bill changes 
the 
name 
of 
the 
Insti tute to the Dorothea Dix Center for 
bill also creates the Dorothea Dix Award. 
Bangor 
Public 
Mental Health 
Service. 
The