An Act Regarding Recommendations for Changing Place Names in the State
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1667
Committee Amendment CA_A_H875 (House)
Amends: 1 MRSA §1101, 1 MRSA §1104, 5 MRSA §1997, 5 MRSA §12004

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"{\" to H.P. 1065, L.D. 1667, "An Act Regarding 
Recommendations for Changing Place Names in the State" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 1. 1 MRSA §1101, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1977, c. 259, §1, is amended to 
read: 
2. Place. "Place" means any natural geographic feature 0f of the State: any street, 
alley. square. bridge. tunnel or ~ 
road within the jurisdietioR of the State,01:'~ any 
political subdivision of the State: or a building. facility. park or cultural feature owned. 
leased or operated by the State or any political subdivision of the State. 
Sec. 2. 1 MRSA §1104, as amended by PL 1999, c. 613, §2 and PL 2011, c. 657, 
Pt. W, §6, is further amended to read: 
§1104. Responsibility of municipal officers and county commissioners 
The municipal officers of the municipality or the county commissioners responsible 
for the unorganized territory; in which a place is found by the Maine Human Rights 
Commission pursuant to Title 5, section 4632; to have an offensive name,4all have the 
following responsibilities: 
1. Reasonable actions. They shall take whatever reasonable actions are required to 
complete a change in the offensive name. including. but not limited to, petitioning and 
engaging the Maine Board on Place Names under Title 5, section 1997. They may hold 
public hearings on selecting a new name; aR4 
1-A. Consult with Maine Board on Place Names. They shall notify the Maine Board 
on Place Names under Title 5. section 1997 within 5 days of the Maine Human Rights 
Commission finding the place name offensive and shall follow the process established by 
the Maine Board on Place Names pursuant to Title 5. section 1997: and 
2. Notification, Unless a court order is issued under Title 5, section 4632 specifying 
5 
a different deadline, within 6 months of the det0FffliRatioa fmding by the Maine Human 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" Pf' to H.P. 1065, L.D. 1667 
Rights Commission that the place has an offensive name, they shall provide notice of the 
new name to the Gommissionef of Agdcukare, Conservation ana Fofestfy, the 8e0fetaty 
efthe United States DepartmeR-t Secretary: of the Interior and other public agencies, boards, 
committees or other groups responsible for changing names of places and for ensuring that 
sueh the name changes appear on maps and other public documents. 
Sec. 3. 5 MRSA §1997 is enacted to read: 
§1997. Maine Board on Place Names 
l, Established, The Maine Board on Place Names. established by section 12004-I. 
subsection 75-D and referred to in this section as "the board," shall establish policies and 
procedures for naming and renaming places in the State and shall serve as an advisor to 
local units of government seeking to name or rename a place and to the Department of 
Administrative and Financial Services' unofficial liaison to the United States Department 
of the Interior. United States Geological Survey. United States Board on Geographic 
Names, referred to in this section as "the Board on Geographic Names," who communicates 
recommendations for naming or renaming places. For purposes of this section. "place" has 
the same meaning as in Title 1. section 1101. subsection 2. 
2. Members. The board consists of 11 members as follows: 
A. One member who is a faculty member of a college or university in the State 
specializing in genealogical or anthropological research. appointed by the President of 
the Senate: 
B. One member. recommended by the chief of a federally recognized Indian tribe. 
nation or band located in the State, appointed by the President of the Senate; 
C. One member who is a faculty member of a college or university in the State 
specializing in the history, culture or civil and human rights of historically 
disadvantaged racial, indigenous and tribal populations, appointed by the President of 
the Senate; 
D. One member who is a scholar of linguistics or a person familiar with language 
preservation, appointed by the Speaker of the House; 
E. 
One member, recommended by the coordinator of special collections at the 
University of Southern Maine, appointed by the Speaker of the House; 
F. One member of a statewide organization based in the State promoting civil rights 
that has racial justice or racial equity as its primary: mission. appointed by the Speaker 
of the House; 
G. One member, recommended by the chief of a federally recognized Indian tribe. 
nation or band located in the State, who is not from the same tribal community as the 
member appointed pursuant to paragraph B. appointed by the Speaker of the House; 
H. One member who is an employee of the Office of Geographic Information Systems 
within the office and who serves as the unofficial liaison to the Board on Geographic 
Names and who is a mapping professional. recommended by the Chief Information 
Officer; 
I. The State Archivist, or the State Archivist's designee; 
J. The State Geologist, or the State Geologist's designee; and 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to H.P. 1065, L.D. 1667 
K. The State Historian, or the State Historian's designee. 
In appointing members of the board. the appointing authorities shall give consideration to 
racial, ethnic, gender, socioeconomic and geographic diversity. 
3. Chair. The chair of the board must be selected from among its members at the first 
meeting of the board each year. The chair shall call and preside at meetings of the board 
and shall pe1form such other duties as the board may assign. If a chair is no longer willing 
or able to serve. the board shall select a chair from among its members at the next meeting 
of the board. 
4. Terms; vacancy; quorum. Members of the board serve 2-year terms and continue 
serving until either reappointed or replaced. In case of the termination of a member's 
service during that member's term, the appointing authority shall appoint a successor for 
the unexpired term. A majority of members constitutes a quorum for the purpose of 
conducting the. business of the board. 
5. Duties. The board shall: 
A. Meet on a regular basis at least 6 times per year: 
B. Advise the member of the board serving as the State's unofficial liaison to the Board 
on Geographic Names: 
C. Develop, oversee and make public policies and procedures for petitioning the board 
to name or rename a place and for filing a petition with the Board on Geographic 
Names, Domestic Names Committee; 
D. Develop and implement a public engagement campaign to raise awareness about 
place names, their history and the public process by which place names are chosen; 
E. Give notice to the Board of Geographic Names. Domestic Names Committee of 
scheduled board meetings; and 
F. Recommend policies and procedures for a petitioner to use to solicit input on 
petitions to name or rename a place, which may include: 
(l) Public engagement through advertised public presentations; 
(2) Outreach to solicit public input through local populations; 
(3) Public outreach to nonlocal populations; 
(4) Educational materials that are made readily available to the public; 
(5) Appropriate time and options for a dedicated public comment period; and 
(6) Recorded public voting administered by the election official in the affected 
local unit of government where there is a request for the naming or renaming of a 
place. 
6. Additional responsibilities. The board may take on the following additional 
responsibilities as resources allow: 
A. Acting as a liaison with state and federal agencies and the governments of Indian 
tribes. nations and bands in the State to ensure consistency in data and mapping 
products; 
B. Developing recommendations on best practices in naming or renaming places; 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 'A" to H.P. 1065, L.D. 1667 
C. Sustaining active membership in a national nonprofit association of state and federal 
government agencies representing the official and recognized geographic names 
authorities in the United States that work to promote national standardization of the 
names of geographic features for official use throughout the country; and 
D. Issuing recommendations on petitions. 
7. Compensation. Board members not otherwise compensated for serving on the board 
by their employers or other entities that they represent are eligible to receive a legislative 
per diem, as defmed in section 12002, subsection 3, in accordance with section 12002-B. 
Board members may be compensated only for up to 4 meetings per month. 
Nothing in this subsection is intended to exempt members of the board from the provisions 
of section 18-A. 
8, 
Funding. The board may receive and accept, from any source, allocations, 
appropriations, loans, grants and contributions of money or other things of value to be held, 
used or applied to carry out this section, subject to the conditions upon which the loans, 
grants and contributions may be made, including, but not limited to, appropriations, 
allocations, loans, grants or gifts from a private source, federal agency or governmental 
subdivision of the State or its agencies. 
The board may receive and disburse funds made available to it for education programs, 
assisting the public in understanding the history of place names and providing local 
assistance on initiating a petition to the board. 
9. Staffing. The board may employ personnel as it considers necessary and desirable 
in order to effectively discharge its duties and responsibilities. 
10. Reporting. By December 15th of each odd-numbered year, the board shall submit 
a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over state and 
local government matters, the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters and the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over inland fisheries and wildlife matters. 
The report must include a list of local units of government that have petitioned to name or 
rename a place, the status and outcome of each petition, recommendations for changes to 
existing place names and recommendations for suggested legislation to improve the process 
of naming or renaming a place. Each committee may report out legislation in the regular 
or special session of the biennium in which the committee receives the report. 
Sec. 4. 5 MRSA §12004-1, sub-§75-D is enacted to read: 
75-D. 
State Government 
Maine Board on Place 
Names 
Legislative Per Diem for 
Certain Members 
SMRSA 
§1997 
Sec. 5. Staggered terms. Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, 
section 1997, subsection 4, initial appointments to the Maine Board on Place Names must 
be staggered as follows: 
1. Of the members appointed by the President of the Senate, one member must be 
appointed for a one-year term and 2 members must be appointed for 2-year terms; and 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1065, L.D. 1667 
2. Of the members appointed by the Speaker of the House, 2 members must be 
appointed for one-year terms and 2 members must be appointed for 2-year terms. 
Sec. 6. Moratorium on requests to Board on Geographic Names for 
naming or renaming of nonadministrative places. For a period of 180 days after 
the effective date of this legislation, the Department of Administrative and Financial 
Services may not process or act upon any petitions to the United States Department of the 
Interior, United States Geological Survey, United States Board on Geographic Names for 
the naming or renaming of a natural geographic feature of the State or any street, alley or 
other road within the jurisdiction of the State. 
Sec. 7. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF 
Maine Board on Place Names N489 
Initiative: Provides a base allocation to the newly established Maine Board on Place Names 
account to allow acceptance and expenditure of funding from private and public sources. 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
All Other 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL 
Maine Board on Place Names N489 
2023-24 
$0 
$0 
Initiative: Provides funding for payment of per diem to members of the board. 
GENERAL FUND 
2023-24 
All Other 
$0 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL 
SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL-ALL FUNDS 
$0 
2023-24 
$0 
$0 
$0 
2024-25 
$500 
$500 
2024-25 
$1,650 
$1,650 
2024-25 
$1,650 
$500 
$2,150 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, replaces the bill and 
does the following. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" Pr" to H.P. 1065, L.D. 1667 
1. It amends the definition of "place" in the provision of law that prohibits offensive 
names for places in the State. 
2. It establishes the Maine Board on Place Names as an advisory board and it requires 
the board to establish policies and procedures for naming or renaming places. 
3. It requires the Maine Board on Place Names to serve as a consultant to the state 
employee who serves as an unofficial liaison to the United States Department of the 
Interior, United States Geographical Survey, United States Board on Geographic Names, 
Domestic Names Committee for the purpose of naming and renaming those places in the 
State under the jurisdiction of the United States Board on Geographic Names. 
4. It requires municipal officers and county commissioners to notify and work with 
the Maine Board on Place Names if a place name in a municipality or unorganized territory 
is found by the Maine Human Rights Commission to be offensive. 
5. It requires the Maine Board on Place Names to submit a report, by December 15th 
of each odd-numbered year, to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over state and local government matters, the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters and the 
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over inland fisheries and 
wildlife matters regarding municipalities that have petitioned to name or rename a place, 
recommendations for changes to existing place names and recommendations for suggested 
legislation. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03/15/24 ;:!;Pae:. 
LD 1667 
LR 172(02) 
An Act Regarding Recommendations for Changing Place Names in the State 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'A' (H--21 SJ 
Committee: State and Local Government 
Net Cost (Savings) 
• General Fund 
• Jpropriations/ Allocations 
General Fund 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
State Mandates 
Required Activity 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Potential State Mandate - Unfunded 
FY 2023-24 
FY 2024-25 
$0 
$0 
$0 
$1,650 
$1,650 
$500 
Requires municipal officers and county commissioners to notify and work with the 
Maine Board of Place Names if a place name within the municipality or unorganized 
territory is found to be offensive. 
Projections 
FY 2025-26 
$1,980 
$1,980 
$500 
Unit Affected 
Municipality 
County 
Projections 
FY 2026-27 
$1,980 
$1,980 
$500 
Local Cost 
Insignificant 
statewide 
The required.local activities in this bill may represent a state mandate pursuant to the Constitution of Maine. If the bill 
does require a local unit of government to expand or modify its activities so as to necessitate additional expenditures 
from local revenue, the state mandate provisions of the Constitution of Maine require either: ( 1) General Fund 
appropriations be provided to fund at least 90% of any additional necessitated local costs of the mandate; or (2) a 
Mandate Preamble be added to the bill and two-thirds of the members of ea.ch House vote to exempt the mandate from 
the funding requirement. If the bill does represent a state mandate and neither one of these actions occurs, the local 
units of government will not be required to implement the mandated activities. 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
This bill includes a base allocation of $500 per year beginning in fiscal year 2024-25 to a newly created Maine Board 
of Place Names account within the Department of Administrative and Financial Services to allow acceptance and 
expenditure of funding from private and public sources. 
The bill also includes a General Fund appropriation to the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, 
Maine Board of Place Names program of $1,650 in fiscal year 2024-25 to provide funds for per diem costs associated 
with meetings of the board. This amount assumes 3 members of the board are eligible for the per diem and the per 
diem is paid for 10 meetings in fiscal year 2024-25. 
Any additional costs to the Department of Secretary of State, the Department of Administrative. and Financial 
Services, the University of Maine System, the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and the Department of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry associated with serving on the Maine Board of Place Names are expected to 
·be minor and can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LROl 72(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 2 of2