Senate sends Sen. Diamond bill to set standards for vanity license plates to Governor’s desk

AUGUSTA – On Thursday, the Senate enacted a bill from Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, to strengthen the standards Maine’s Secretary of State uses to issue vanity license plates. 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,” which received unanimous support in the Senate and the House, now goes to the desk of Gov. Janet Mills.

“This brings us one step closer to implementing some commonsense guidelines so that all of us feel safer and more comfortable on Maine’s roadways,” said Sen. Diamond. “When we began the vanity license plate program years ago, few of us imagined that we would be seeing some of the offensive plates that are on the road today. I support everyone’s right to free speech, but the fact is, these plates are state property, and even the appearance that the state endorses these offensive messages is wrong. By implementing some very reasonable and narrow limits, we allow people to have good fun, without making our public roads more hostile and dangerous.”

Sen. Diamond served as Maine’s Secretary of State from 1989 to 1997, when 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 In 2015, Maine repealed restrictions on license plates that could be considered obscene, contemptuous, profane or prejudicial, or which promoted abusive or unlawful activity.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 goes to the desk of Gov. Janet Mills, who has 10 days to sign the bill into law, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature.