S. 2894 — Reconciliation in Place Names Act

This section states congressional findings that certain U.S. geographic features bear derogatory terms, racial slurs, or names honoring individuals who held repugnant views, committed atrocities against Native Americans, or supported discriminatory policies against racial minorities, thereby perpetuating prejudice and disparaging such minorities. The section further finds that no geographic feature should bear such names; place names should be equitable, honor cultural diversity, and advance dignity; the Board on Geographic Names is responsible for naming features and authorizes changes to offensive names but employs a slow, opaque process lacking public involvement; and a systematic public review process is needed to identify and replace inappropriate names, offering an opportunity for national reconciliation.

This section provides definitions of terms for purposes of the Act, including (1) Board, meaning the Board on Geographic Names established by the Act of July 25, 1947 (43 U.S.C. 364a); (2) Committee, meaning the Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names established by section 4(a); (3) Federal land unit, meaning National Forest System land, a National Park System unit, a National Wilderness Preservation System component, any part of the National Landscape Conservation System, or a National Wildlife Refuge System unit; (4) Indian Tribe, having the meaning given in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304); (5) offensive place name, meaning a domestic geographic place name or Federal land unit name that recognizes individuals with racially repugnant views or who committed atrocities against Native Americans, contains a racial or sexual slur, perpetuates stereotypes, or is otherwise derogatory; (6) Tribal organization, having the meaning given in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304); and (7) Secretary, meaning the Secretary of the Interior.

This section establishes an advisory committee, to be known as the Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names, not later than 180 days after enactment of the Act. The committee is to advise the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the Secretary of the Interior, and Congress on renaming geographic features and federal land units with offensive place names. The committee consists of 17 members appointed by the Secretary, including—to the extent practicable—(1) 4 members of Indian tribes, (2) 1 representative of a tribal organization, (3) 1 representative of a Native Hawaiian organization, (4) 4 members with backgrounds in civil rights or race relations, (5) 4 experts in anthropology, cultural/ethnic/indigenous studies, geography, or history, and (6) 3 representatives of the general public. The committee's duties include establishing a process to solicit and review renaming proposals from Indian tribes, state and local governments, affected land management agencies, and the public; providing opportunities for public comment; submitting renaming proposals (including new names) to the Board and Secretary for geographic features and to Congress for federal land units; and recommending process improvements to the Board. Committee members serve without compensation but receive travel expenses; the Secretary provides staff support; the committee operates under the Federal Advisory Committee Act and may adopt rules; and the committee terminates one year after the Board approves or rejects all submitted proposals (with duties to be fulfilled, to the extent practicable, within five years of establishment).

This section establishes a process requiring the Board to accept or reject a Committee proposal to rename a geographic feature, received under section 4(e)(4), not later than three years after receipt. The Board must approve such a proposal unless (1) there is a compelling reason and substantial public interest in rejecting it or (2) approving it would violate federal law; if approved, the Board must rename the feature. Board policies preventing consideration of name changes due to pending legislation do not apply to Committee proposals.