This bill establishes the Maine Board on Place Names as an advisory board and it requires the board to establish policies and procedures for naming and renaming places. 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
43 Committee for the purpose of naming and renaming those places in the State under the
44 jurisdiction of the United States Board on Geographic Names. The bill also 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. 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. Finally, the bill amends the definition of "place" in the provision of law that prohibits offensive names for places in the State.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 247, SP 113: 1.1101, 1.1104