Committee approves Sen. Diamond bill to set standards for vanity license plates

Posted: May 10, 2021 | Senator Diamond, Transportation

AUGUSTA – On Friday, a bill from Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, to strengthen the standards Maine’s Secretary of State uses to issue vanity license plates was approved by the Legislature’s Transportation Committee. An amended version of LD 130, “An Act To Create Appropriate Standards for the Secretary of State To Follow When Approving the Assignments of Vanity Registration Plates,” passed committee 7-3, with three members absent.

“License plates are state property, and as such the language on those plates should not be dangerous or offensive to our communities, especially to our children,” said Sen. Diamond. “Some of the plates we see on the road today are truly outrageous, and I’ve heard from many of my constituents about it. This bill sets narrow guidelines that most Mainers would completely agree with, and that most people would probably be surprised we don’t already have. I thank the committee for their hard work on this issue.”

Sen. Diamond served as Maine’s Secretary of State from 1989 to 1997, during which time Maine’s vanity plate program was first implemented. In 2015, Maine repealed restrictions on license plates that could be considered obscene, contemptuous, profane or prejudicial, or which promoted abusive or unlawful activity. Maine law currently prohibits plates that encourage violence, may result in an act of violence or spur other unlawful activities.

As amended, LD 130 would allow the Secretary of State to reject applications for plates and to recall existing plates under a narrowly tailored set of guidelines. This includes plates that are profane or obscene; plates that connote genitalia or that relate to sexual acts; and plates that make a derogatory reference to protected classes under the Maine Human Rights Act, including age, race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry or national origin, religion, or physical or mental disability. License plates with slang terms, abbreviations, phonetic spellings or mirror images of words or terms that are prohibited are also not allowed. The amended bill also adds an appeals process for rejected applications or for recalled plates.

LD 130 now faces votes in the Senate and the House.