Resolve, To Convene a Working Group To Identify and Find Replacements for Certain Stigmatizing References throughout the Maine Revised Statutes and Government Publications
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 1588
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: PLUECKER, EVANGELOS, HARNETT, NEWELL, WARREN, CARNEY

Legislative Document
No. 1588
H.P. 1177
House of Representatives, April 27, 2021
Resolve, To Convene a Working Group To Identify and Find 
Replacements for Certain Stigmatizing References throughout the 
Maine Revised Statutes and Government Publications
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative PLUECKER of Warren.
Cosponsored by Representatives: EVANGELOS of Friendship, HARNETT of Gardiner, 
NEWELL of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, WARREN of Hallowell, Senator: CARNEY of 
Cumberland.
Sec. 1.  Convene working group. Resolved: That the Department of Corrections 
shall convene a working group, referred to in this resolve as "the working group," to review 
the use of the following terms in the Maine Revised Statutes and executive branch rules, 
forms, policies and publications: "convict," "offender," "inmate," "prisoner" and "drug 
user," collectively referred to in this resolve as "the terminology."
Sec. 2.  Membership. Resolved: That the commissioners of the Department of 
Corrections, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation 
and Forestry and the Department of Health and Human Services shall each appoint at least 
one person as a member of the working group.  A member of the public with lived 
experience of incarceration, recovery or neurodivergence must be selected by the members 
and invited to assist the working group.
Sec. 3.  Duties. Resolved: That the working group shall:
1. Identify in the Maine Revised Statutes and executive branch rules, forms, policies 
and publications each instance where the use of the terminology is stigmatizing;
2. Identify the terms to be used in place of the stigmatizing terminology; 
3. In selecting replacement terms, consider whether the following terms are appropriate 
replacements:
A. "Person who has committed a crime";
B. "Resident"; or
C. "Person who uses drugs";
4. Ensure that any proposed language changes are not in conflict with or prohibited by 
federal laws or regulations;
5. Ensure that any proposed language changes do not alter or render ambiguous the 
substantive meaning of any statute or any executive branch rules, forms, policies or 
publications;
6. Propose standards regarding the terminology to be used by the Revisor of Statutes 
when preparing legislation; and
7. Propose standards regarding the terminology to be used by executive branch 
agencies when drafting or amending rules, forms, policies and publications.
Sec. 4. Report and recommendations. Resolved: That, by December 1, 2021, 
the Department of Corrections shall submit a written report to the Joint Standing 
Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety that includes the findings and 
recommendations of the working group, including any necessary implementing legislation. 
Sec. 5.  Authority for legislation. Resolved: That, after receipt and review of the 
report and recommendations submitted pursuant to section 4, the Joint Standing Committee 
on Criminal Justice and Public Safety may submit legislation based on the report to the 
SUMMARY
This resolve requires the Department of Corrections to convene a working group to 
identify when the following terms are used in a stigmatizing manner in the Maine Revised 
Statutes and executive branch rules, forms, policies and publications: "convict," "offender," 
"inmate," "prisoner" and "drug user."  The working group is tasked with identifying the 
appropriate replacement terms to be used and considering the following terms as 
replacement options: "person who has committed a crime," "resident" or "person who uses 
drugs."
The working group includes at least one person each from the Department of 
Corrections, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Health and Human 
Services and the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.  A member of the 
public with lived experience of incarceration, recovery or neurodivergence is selected by 
the members and invited to assist the working group.
By December 1, 2021, the Department of Corrections is required to provide a report 
with the working group's findings and recommendations to the Joint Standing Committee 
on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.  The committee has the authority to introduce 
legislation in the Second Regular Session of the 130th Legislature based on the report.