An Act To Standardize Reporting Requirements for PACs, Parties and Independent Electioneering Expenditures
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0659
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: CANAVAN, GAGNON, BARSTOW, CLARK, HUTTON, JENNINGS, MARLEY, MOORE, NORBERT, MAYO
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1014-B, 21-A MRSA §1017-A, 21-A MRSA §1020-A

Legislative Document 
No. 659 
H.P.489 
House of Representatives, February 11,2003 
An Act To Standardize Reporting Requirements for PACs, Parties 
and Independent Electioneering Expenditures 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative CANAVAN of Waterville. 
Cosponsored by Senator GAGNON of Kennebec and 
7r/~ 
/J1.1lbc~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BARSTOW of Gorham, CLARK of Millinocket, HUTTON of Bowdoinham, 
JENNINGS of Leeds, MARLEY of Portland, MOORE of Standish, NORBERT of Portland, 
Senator: MAYO of Sagadahoc. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1014-B, sub-§2, ,D, as enacted by PL 2001, 
c. 416, §l, is amended to read: 
D. 
If 
the 
call 
is 
an 
independent 
electioneering 
expenditure, as defined in section 1019, the fact that a 
candidate has not approved the call must be disclosed during 
each call. 
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1017-A. sub-§4. as enacted by PL 1991, c. 
839, §23 and affected by §33, is repealed. 
Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §1017-A, sub-§4-A is enacted to read: 
A. 
Filing schedule. 
A party committee shall file its 
reports according to the following schedule. 
A. 
Ouarterly reports must be filed: 
(1) 
On January 15th and must be complete up to January 
~ 
(2) 
On April 10th and must be complete up to March 
l.il..t..L 
(3) 
On July 15th and must be complete up to July 5th; 
and 
(4) 
On 
October 
10th 
and 
must 
be 
complete 
up 
to 
September 30th. 
B. 
General and primary election reports must be filed: 
(1) 
On 
the 6th day before the date on which the 
election is held and must be complete up to the 12th 
day before that date; and 
(2) 
On 
the 42nd day after the date on which the 
election is held and must be complete up to the 35th 
day after that date. 
c. 
Reports 
of spending to 
influence special elections, 
referenda, 
initiatives, 
bond 
issues 
or 
constitutional 
amendments must be filed: 
(1) 
On 
the 6th day before the date on which the 
election is held and must be complete up to the 12th 
day before that date; and 
Page l-LRl1l9(1) 
(2) 
On 
the 
42nd day after the date on which the 
election is held and must be complete up to the 35th 
day after that date. 
D. 
A party committee that files an election report under 
paragraph B or C is not reguired to file a guarterly report 
under 
paragraph 
A when the deadline 
for that guarterly 
report 
falls 
within 
days 
of 
the 
filing 
deadline 
established in paragraph B or C. 
E. 
A party committee shall report any expenditure of $500 
or more, made after the 12th day before the election and 
more than 48 hours before 5:00 p.m. 
on the day of the 
election, within 48 hours of that expenditure or by noon of 
the first business day after the expenditure, whichever is 
later. 
Sec. 4. 21·A MRSA §1019, as amended by PL 2001, c. 465, §l, 
is repealed and the following enacted in its place: 
§1019. 
Reports of independent electioneering e~enditures 
Any 
person, 
party 
committee, 
political 
committee 
or 
poli tical 
action 
committee 
that 
makes 
an 
independent 
electioneering 
expenditure 
shall 
file 
a 
report 
with 
the 
commission. 
In the case of a municipal election, a copy of the 
same information must be filed with the municipal clerk. 
For 
the 
purposes 
of 
this 
section, 
"independent 
electioneering expenditure" means any contribution or expenditure 
by a person, party committee, political committee or political 
action committee aggregating in excess of $100 in an election 
that expressly advocates the election or defeat of 
a clearly 
identified candidate, other than by contribution to a candidate 
or a candidate's authorized political committee. 
1. 
Filing requirements. 
Reports reguired by this section 
must be filed according to the following. 
A. 
In races involving only privately financed candidates, 
reports must be filed in accordance with the schedule set 
forth in section 1059, subsection 2. 
B. 
In races involving a Maine Clean Election Act candidate, 
reports must be filed in accordance with the schedule set 
forth in section 1059, subsection 2 and additional reports 
must be filed in accordance with the following schedule: 
(1) 
A report filed not later than 5:00 p.m. 
on the 
42nd day before the date on which an election is held 
and complete up to the 49th day before that date; 
(2) 
A report f11ed no later than 5:00 p.m. on the 21st 
day before the date on which an election is held and 
complete up to the 28th 
day before that date; and 
(3) 
A report filed no later than 5:00 p.m. on the 12th 
day before the date on which an election is held and 
complete up to the 19th day before that date. 
2. 
Content. 
The report must contain an itemized account of 
each contribution or exp~nditure aggregating in excess of $100 in 
anyone candidate's election, 
the 
date 
and 
purpose 
of 
each 
contribution 
or 
expenditure 
and 
the 
name 
of 
each 
payee 
o~ 
creditor. 
The 
report must state whether 
the contribution or 
expendi ture is in support of or in opposition to the candidate 
and must include, under penalty of perjury as provided in Title 
17-A, section 451, a statement under oath or affirmation whether 
the 
contribution 
or 
expenditure 
is 
made 
in 
cooperation, 
consultation or concert with, or at the reguest or suggestion of, 
the 
candidgte 
or 
any 
authorized 
committee 
or 
agent 
of 
the 
candidate. 
3. 
Forms. 
Reports reguired by this section must be 
on 
forms prescribed and prepared by the commission. 
Persons filing 
these reports may use additional pages if necessary, 
but the 
pages must be the same size as the pages of the form. 
Sec. 5. 21-A MRSA §1020-A. sub-§5-A, "B, C and D. as enacted 
by PL 2001, c. 714, Pt. PP, §1 and affected by §2, are amended to 
read: 
B. 
Five thousand dollars for state party committee reports 
required under section 1017 -A, subsection 4 4-11., paragraphs 
A-aBe ~ C and E and section 1018, subsection 2; 
C. One thousand dollars for reports required under section 
1017, 
subsection 
2, 
paragraphs 
A and 
F; 
section 
1017, 
subsection 
3-A, 
paragraphs 
A 
and 
E; 
and 
state 
party 
committee reports required to be filed under section 1017-11., 
subsection 4 4-11., paragraph B; 
D. 
Five hundred dollars for municipal, district and county 
committees 
for 
reports 
required 
under 
section 
1017-11., 
subsection 4T--pa1~-aph!r-Ar-~-and--b 4-A and section 1018, 
subsection 2; or 
Sec. 6. 21-A MRS A §1125. sub-§9. as enacted by IB 1995, c. l, 
§17, is amended to read: 
9. 
Matching funds. 
When any campaign, finance or election 
report 
shows 
that the 
sum 
of 
a 
candidate's expenditures 
or 
obligations, or funds raised or borrowed, whichever is greater, 
alone 
or 
in 
conjunction 
with 
independent 
electioneering 
expenditures 
reported 
under 
section 
1019, 
exceeds 
the 
distribution 
amount 
under 
subsection 
8, 
the 
commission shall 
issue 
immediately 
to 
any 
opposing 
Maine 
Clean 
Election 
Act 
candidate 
an 
additional 
amount 
equivalent 
to 
the 
reported 
excess. 
Matching 
funds 
are 
limited 
to 
times 
the 
amount 
originally distributed under 
subsection 8, 
paragraph A or 
C, 
whichever is applicable. 
SUMMARY 
This 
bill 
standardizes 
campaign 
finance 
reporting 
requirements 
by 
putting 
political 
action 
committees, 
party 
committees 
and 
disclosure 
of 
independent 
electioneering 
expenditures 
on 
the 
same 
reporting schedule. 
Persons 
making 
independent 
electioneering expenditures 
in 
races 
involving 
a 
Maine 
Clean 
Election 
Act 
candidate 
are 
required 
to 
file 
additional reports on the same schedule as accelerated reports by 
candidates.