Bill aims to remove 'halfbreed' from Montana place names

HELENA (AP) — Montana lawmakers are considering legislation that would remove the words "half breed" and "breed" from the names of creeks and other places around the state.

Republican Rep. Nicholas Schwaderer of Superior introduced House Bill 331 in the State Administration Committee Thursday. He says it's the government's duty to remove offensive language from the places they name.

The bill would require state and other agencies to remove the terms from maps, signs and markers when age or vandalism calls for an update. It would also create a volunteer advisory group to determine replacement names.

The idea for the bill came out of work with members of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians on the Montana Indian Languages Preservation Pilot Program.

No one spoke in opposition to the bill.