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Senate adopts bill requiring faster renaming of offensive geographic place names
Summary
The Senate passed House Bill 35 32 B to accelerate renaming of offensively named geographic places (including those using the term historically considered insulting to Indigenous women). The Oregon Geographic Names Board will be required to identify and propose new names with tribal and local input within set timeframes.
The Oregon Senate passed House Bill 35 32 B, a measure directing the Oregon Geographic Names Board (housed at the Oregon Historical Society) to identify and rename places with offensively derived names within three years and to consult federally recognized tribes, local governments and landowners in the renaming process.
Supporters described the measure as a modest, consultative step toward removing slurs from official place names and said it builds on an earlier statutory effort from 2001 that targeted a specific slur. “Names are not just markers. They tell Oregon’s story,” Senator Thatcher said on the floor, urging colleagues to listen to tribal communities who find some historical names demeaning.
Senator Broadman and other proponents noted the board already has experience renaming places and that the bill preserves history while changing offensive official names to ones that honor local communities. The confederated tribes and other federally recognized tribes provided testimony in support, according to senators who spoke on the floor.
The measure requires public notice of proposed new names and encourages consultation with tribes and community members in choosing respectful replacement names. It passed the Senate on third reading by recorded vote after bipartisan floor discussion.
Next steps: The bill, which passed both chambers, will proceed to enrollment and transmission to the governor. Implementation will be managed by the Oregon Historical Society and the Oregon Geographic Names Board in consultation with tribes and local governments.
